■y  I 


'h»'., 


X.  X  38  D6i  xL  38.  "^ST 

OF   THE 

THEOLOdlCAL    SEMINARY, 

AT 

PROfCETOlV,  W.  J. 


UONATION     /» < 


t>  A  M  r  K  L    A  tU  N  K  W  , 

iT     HHlLiDELPHlA,    i- A 

Letter 


JV^o. 


|l        Case,   Djvu^ion ......:....l 

j;         .S7/^7/;  Section % 


PaiTi^ed  Vy  ThaTTO.'psQn.   1810. 


Kngravi'by  J-B-Martin,  Ri<*limf 


.[UW:  J(;.l.L^'    D  o  EJ.AriK.. 


SERMONS 


■% 


COLLECTED   FROM 


THE    MANUSCRIPTS 


OF    THE    LATE 


''  That  ye  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  those  who, 
through  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the  promises." 


PRINTED  BY  SHEPHERD  ^  POLLARD. 


1825. 


% 


District  of  Virginia,  to  wit : 

Be  it  remembered,  that  on  the  thirtieth  day  of  May,  in 
,!f*5)f*»3!f**3it  the  forty-ninth  year  of  the  independence  of 
I  L.  S.  j  the  United  States  of  America,  Mary  Blair, 
*********  of  the  said  district,  hath  deposited  in  this  of- 
fice, the  title  of  a  book,  the  rio;ht  whereof  she  claims  as 
proprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit :  "  Sermons 
collected  from  the  manuscripts  of  the  late  Rev.  John  D. 
Blair."  "That  ye  be  not  slothful,  but  followers  of  those 
who,  through  faith  and  patience,  inherit  the  promises." 
In  conformity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States,  entitled  "An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning, 
by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts  and  books,  to  the 
authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  time 
therein  mentioned." 

RD.  JEFFRIES, 
Clerk  of  the  District  of  Vii^ginia. 


PREFACE. 


In  compliance  with  the  wish  of  a  number  of  the 
friends  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  Blair,  his  family  have 
selected  from  his  manuscripts,  the  Sermons  which 
compose  the  ensuing  volume.  They  would,  doubt- 
less, have  appeared  much  more  advantageously,  if 
they  had  been  prepared  for  the  press  by  his  own 
hand.  They  are  less  perfect,  too,  than  they  would 
have  been,  in  consequence  of  his  habit  of  enlarging 
before  the  public,  what  he  had  written  more  briefly 
in  private.  Some  of  them  appear  to  be  among  his 
earliest  compositions  of  that  kind,  while  others  be- 
long to  a  later  period.  Although  they  are  less  fully 
and  less  carefully  written  out  than  they  would  have 
been,  had  their  author  composed  them  for  publica- 
tion, yet  they  are  deemed  not  unworthy  of  being 
read,  and  are  commended  to  that  blessing  of  Hea- 
ven, which  alone  can  render  them  extensively  useful. 


CONTENTS. 


'  '  OQ^ 


cTi. 

V. 

pa. 

I,  On  the  death  of  Washington, 

Psalms, 

12. 

1. 

3 

JI.  On  the  government  of  God, 

Psalms, 

97, 

I, 

17 

m.  On  the  condescension  of  God, 

Psalms, 

8, 

4, 

28 

IV.  The  remembrance  of  God, 

Eccles. 

12, 

1, 

35 

V.  On  Infidefity, 

Hebrews, 

3, 

12, 

51 

VI.  Exhortation  against  sin, 

Hebrews, 

3, 

13, 

64 

VII.  Deceitfulness  of  the  heart, 

Jeremiah, 

17, 

19, 

75 

VIII.  On  the  value  of  the  soul, 

Matthew, 

16, 

26, 

82 

IX.  ReUgion  a  reasonable  service, 

1  John, 

5, 

3, 

91 

X.  Religion  the  one  thing  needful. 

Luke, 

10, 

42, 

103 

XI.  On  anger. 

Proverbs, 

19, 

1, 

110 

XII.  The  Gospel  rule, 

Matthew, 

7, 

12, 

123 

XIII.  Common  lot  of  the  righteous  and  wicked, 

Eccles. 

9, 

2, 

134 

XIV.  The  Divinity  of  the  Saviour, 

John, 

5, 

23, 

144 

XV.  The  benefit  of  affliction. 

Psalms, 

119, 

71, 

153 

X"ST.  Future  punishment,    • 

Matthew, 

25, 

46, 

166 

XVII.  On  the  general  judgment, 

Acts, 

17, 

31, 

179 

XVin.  The  uncertainty  to  us  of  future  events, 

Eccles. 

8, 

7, 

191 

XIX.  On  prayer, 

Philipp. 

4, 

6, 

203 

XX.  On  salvation  by  grace, 

Ephesians 

,    2, 

8, 

217 

XXI.  On  the  glory  of  the  Saviour, 

Revelatior 

,,   5, 

12 

230 

XXII.  Wisdom  justified. 

Matthew, 

H, 

19. 

239 

XXIII.  Excellency  of  the  righteous, 

Proverbs, 

12, 

26, 

248 

XXIV.  On  covetousness. 

Luke, 

12. 

15, 

256 

XXV.  The  character  of  Christ, 

Matthew, 

22, 

42, 

264 

XXVI.  The  mystery  of  Providence, 

Bomans, 

11. 

33, 

273 

XX\TI.  The  vision  of  Jesus, 

John, 

12, 

21, 

282 

XXVIII.  The  Gospel  no  cause  for  shame, 

Bomans, 

1, 

16, 

296 

XXXIX.  Evil  society, 

Psalms, 

1, 

1, 

311 

XXX.  The  resurrection. 

ICor. 

6, 

u. 

319 

XXXI.  Christian  heroism, 

n.  Tim. 

*, 

6, 

335 

SERMONS. 


TO  THE  PUBLIC. 


The  following  Sermon  was  delivered  and  is  pub- 
lished by  appointment  of  the  Greneral  Assembly  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

That  it  met  with  any  favorable  reception,  from 
the  pulpit,  was  doubtless  owing  more  to  the  affect- 
ing solemnity  of  the  occasion ;  to  the  high  sense 
which  the  Legislature  entertained  of  the  worth  of 
the  deceased  George  Washington,  and  to  their 
unfeigned  sorrow  for  his  death,  than  to  the  merit  of 
the  performance  itself. 

But,  since  they  have  been  pleased  to  request  the 
publication  of  it,  it  is  sent  to  the  press  without  hesi- 
tation. 

JOHN  D.  BLAIR, 
Chaplain  to  the  House  of  Delegates, 
Richmond,  January,  1800. 


ON  THE  DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON. 

•^  Help,  Lord,  for  the  Godly  man  ceaseth  ;  for  the 
faithful  fail  from  amons;  the  children  of  men  J' 

Psalms,  12th  chap.  1st  verse. 

In  the  familiar  course  of  human  events,  we  are 
apt  to  be  regardless  of  the  hand  of  God,  in  the  usual 
operations  of  nature,  and  in  all  the  ordinary  instan- 
ces of  mortality  which  are  presented  before  our  eyes. 

There  is  no  doubt  that,  upon  due  consideration, 
the  one  of  these  would  be  interpreted  into  clear  in- 
dications of  an  over-ruling  Providence,  and  the  other 
improved  into  impressive  and  affecting  mementos  of 
human  frailty.  Through  the  familiarity  of  both, 
however,  we  are  sufficiently  attentive  to  neither. 

But,  when  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe 
makes  bare  his  arm  by  some  signal  display  of  his 
power,  his  sovereignty,  or  his  displeasure  ;  when  he 
visits  a  city  with  some  deadly  contagion,  or  removes 
from  amongst  us  such  of  our  fellow-men  as  were 
eminently  virtuous  and  useful,  who  had  engrossed 
our  affections,  and  on  whose  preservation  our  inte- 
rests materially  depended ;  w  hen  he  makes  the 
Godly  man  to  cease,  and  the  faithful  man  to  fail, 
he  rouses  by  such  high  dispensations  the  attention 
of  all  his  creatures,  and  causes  them  to  mourn  under 
the  afflictive  visitations  of  his  rod. 


^.^.^ 


ON  THE  DEATH  OF 


Impressed  by  such  circumstances  with  a  sense  of 
our  weakness  and  dependence,  and  affected  by  the 
occurrence  of  such  sorrowful  events,  we  are  brought 
to  perform  the  duty,  and  exercise  the  privilege  of 
nature,  by  putting  ourselves  more  immediately  un- 
der the  guardian  care  of  Heaven,  and  flying  for  suc- 
cour to  the  throne  of  Grace.  Hence  the  importu- 
nate application  of  the  Psalmist  in  the  words  of  the 
text. 

Who  was  the  particular  subject  of  his  plaintive 
strains^  it  is  not  material  that  I  should  now  stay  to 
enquire.  They  are  applicable  to  the  case  of  all 
good  men  ;  for,  their  lives  are  more  or  less  impor- 
tant to  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  this  world. 

On  the  present  occasion,  we  understand  their  ap- 
plication, alas !  too  well.  Never  did  a  people  meet 
with  so  great  a  loss  as  that  which  we  deplore. 
Never  was  there  before  so  loud  a  call  for  earnest 
supplication  to  the  Father  of  Mercies.  Never  had 
the  people  of  America  such  cause  of  funeral  grief, 
as  that  which  has  brought  us  together  to-day.  The 
Godly  man  hath  ceased,  and  the  faithful  hath  fail- 
ed : — The  beloved  Washington  is  no  more. 

Often  do  we  behold  the  sorrows  of  the  afflicted 
parent,  the  disconsolate  widow,  or  the  helpless  or- 
phan ;  but  in  this  sad  instance,  all  America  is  be- 
come a  house  of  mourning,  and  signals  of  distress 
appear  on  every  side.  The  melancholy  tidings  of 
his  death  have  deeply  afflicted  all  descriptions  of 
persons.  The  aged  sire  and  tender  matron  bow 
down  the  hoary  head  in  pensive  sorrow ;  and  the 
cheek  of  the  ingenuous  youth  is  bedewed  with  tears. 
In  this  numerous  assembly  I  see  sadness  depicted 
in  every  countenance. 


WASHINGTON.  5 

On  this  memorable  day,  the  whole  representatives 
of  the  people  of  his  native  State,  by  whose  appoint- 
ment these  funeral  honors  are  paid,  appear  in  the 
sable  badge  of  mourning  in  testimony  of  their  grief 
for  the  loss  of  this  illustrious,  faithful  man ;  and 
every  individual  citizen  sympathises  in  responsive 
sorrow. 

It  is  no  wonder ;  he  was  the  ^^  hero  of  liberty, 
the  father  of  his  country,  the  first  of  patriots,  and 
the  friend  of  man."*  Great  is  the  worth  of  men  of 
piety  and  virtue  to  every  commurtity;  but  when 
these  are  found  to  adorn  conspicuous  and  important 
stations,  it  is  wholly  incalculable.  The  Godly  and 
the  faithful  man  is  not  only  the  most  respectable  in 
his  private  character ;  he  is  not  only  an  honor  to  the 
State  that  gave  him  birth,  and  to  the  race  from  which 
he  sprang,  but  he  is  the  brightest  ornament,  and  the 
most  extensive  benefactor  to  the  world  at  large. 

Virtue  is  not  only  necessary  to  the  peace  and  hap- 
piness of  private  life,  but  it  is  that  alone  by  which  a 
nation  can  rise  to  greatness,  or  enjoy  any  lastine; 
prosperity. 

This,  in  a  gi-eater  or  less  degree,  is  true  of  all  na- 
tions; but  to  those  which,  like  ours,  are  blessed 
with  free  republican  forms  of  government,  of  which 
virtue  is  the  leading  principle,  it  is  of  still  the  grea- 
ter usefulness,  and  the  more  indispensable  necessity. 
It  not  only  reflects  upon  them  their  greatest  lustre, 
but  is,  in  truth,  their  only  sure  defence. 

When  vice  and  licentiousness,  by  an  injudicious 
<  hoice,  or  any  unfortunate  accident,  are  advanced  to 

Mr.  M;4ilison's  enlo[»iiim  in  the  Assembly. 


6  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

important  and  influential  stations  of  honor  or  profit, 
or  of  power,  they  do  not  confine  themselves  within 
the  immediate  circle  of  the  court,  but  they  diffuse 
their  baneful  influence  all  around,  and  gradually 
pervade  and  corrupt  all  parts  of  the  community. 
Encouraged  by  the  practice,  instead  of  being  sup- 
pressed by  the  influence  of  those  who  are  in  authori- 
ty, they  stalk  abroad  with  hardy  front,  until  finally 
they  triumph  over  the  honor,  the  dignity,  the  liber- 
ties, nay,  the  very  existence  of  the  people.  Hence 
the  saying  of  the  wise  man  in  the  Proverbs,  "when 
the  wicked  beareth  rule,  the  people  mourn." 

In  contrast  with  this,  let  us  view  the  Godly  and 
faithful  man,  in  a  like  situation,  and  learn  hence  to 
estimate  the  infinite  superiority  of  his  character,  and 
his  worth  to  society. 

Walking  in  the  ^^  paths  of  truth  and  grace,"  he 
is  not  only  himself  a  most  dignified  and  venerable 
character,  but  becomes  to  others  a  pattern  worthy 
of  all  imitation.  He  exhibits  virtue  in  its  native 
comeliness  and  purity,  and  from  the  eminence  of  his 
station  he  spreads  a  glory  around  it.  He  recom- 
mends religion  by  liis  example :  he  restrains  vice 
by  his  authority.  That  prevails  and  rejoices  under 
the  patronage  of  liis  smiles  ;  this  flies  from  his  pre- 
sence, or  shrinks  at  his  approach  with  all  the  pusil- 
lanimity of  conscious  guilt.  "  When  the  righteous 
man  is  exalted,  the  people  rejoice."  In  him  vir- 
tue is  personified  as  their  representative,  and  to  him 
their  interests,  as  far  as  this  is  necessary,  are  cheer- 
fully entrusted.  The  amiable  excellence  of  his  cha- 
racter acquires  their  confidence,  and  his  integrity 
renders  the  deposit  safe. 


WASHINGTON.  7 

Surely  the  death  of  such  a  man  is  justly  to  be 
regretted  as  a  great  public  loss  ;  and  with  affecting 
propriety  has  it  beeu  made  the  s  ubject  of  the  Psal 
mist's  lamentations  in  the  passage  before  us.  Such 
a  man,  my  brethren,  was  the  dear  friend  whom  we 
have  lost. 

He  was  well  tried ;  he  was  thoroughly  proved 
by  his  country  in  a  long  and  variegated  life.  He 
always  held  himself  ready  to  obey  its  call  on  any 
emergency,  and  he  ever  discharged  his  trust  with 
the  utmost  fidelity.  He  entered  into  its  service  in 
the  prime  of  his  life,  and  he  continued  in  it,  with 
but  little  intermission,  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

In  every  station  which  this  great  man  filled ;  in 
every  sphere  of  life  in  which  he  was  appointed  to 
move,  I  might  call  upon  our  fellow-citizens  from 
one  end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  and  with  tears 
of  gratitude  they  would  all  bear  testimony  that  he 
invariably  exhibited  the  evidence  and  maintained 
the  character  of  a  "  Godly  and  a  faithful  man.'' 

As  long  as  the  people  of  America  shall  continue 
blessed  with  the  enjoyment  of  peace,  of  liberty  and 
independence,  it  will  not  be  forgotten,  that  next  to  a 
kind  and  gracious  God,  who  always  made  this  coun- 
try his  care,  they  are  greatly  indebted  for  them  to 
the  manly  firmness,  the  unremitted  exertions,  and 
the  inviolable  fidelity  of  George  Washington, 

Raised  up  by  Divine  Providence  to  defend  the 
liberties  and  vindicate  the  rights  of  his  country,  he 
nobly  stepped  forward  in  the  day  of  her  distress, 
when  oppressed  by  foreign  domination,  and  bleed- 
ing from  the  wounds  inflicted  by  an  invading  army ; 
and  against  a  formidable  host,  led  on  her  little  band 


8  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

of  patriots.  Then  did  his  mighty  soul,  which  nevei 
brooked  oppression,  exert  its  energy.  A  sincere 
lover  of  liberty,  and  ^*  early  accustomed  to  appreci- 
ate its  value,"  he  exchanged  the  ease  of  domestic 
retirement  for  the  field  of  battle,  and  fought  valiant- 
ly for  the  people  and  for  "  the  cities  of  his  God." 
Nor  from  this  did  he  withdraw,  until  liberty  was 
effectually  secured,  and  its  triumphs  were  proclaim- 
ed throughout  our  happy  country. 

Through  many  a  wearisome  and  long  campaign, 
and  in  all  the  vicissitudes  of  war,  sometimes  pros- 
perous, and  often  adverse,  he  was  the  uniform,  the 
faithful,  and  the  steadfast  friend. 

In  his  highest  prosperity,  he  entertained  no 
thoughts  of  ambition ;  and  in  the  darkest  and  most 
gloomy  hour,  when  the  hopes  of  many  were  begin- 
ning to  fail,  and  they  were  almost  ready  to  give  the 
struggle  for  liberty  up,  the  steady  soul  of  Wash- 
ington, firm  and  unmoved,  animated  with  the  pur- 
est patriotism,  and  fixing  his  hopes  on  Heaven,  was 
stable  as  a  rock.  He  never  for  a  moment  deserted 
the  all  important  cause,  nor  suffered  himself  to  des- 
pair of  success.  At  every  hazard  he  resolved  to  de- 
fend the  interests  of  his  beloved  country,  or  that  he 
would  not  survive  its  downfall,  but  perish  rather  in 
the  general  ruin. 

If  the  united  voice  of  America  did  not  render  it 
unnecessary,  there  are,  I  perceive  in  this  assembly, 
not  a  few  who  would  be  ready  to  attest  the  justice  of 
the  character  which  I  have  thus  far  drawn.  Tiiere 
are  those  here  who  were  with  him  in  tlie  war,  al- 
most from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  who  were  wit- 
nesses of  his  wisdom  in  the  council,  and  his  valor 


WASHINGTON.  9 

ill  the  field  ;  who  were  trained  to  arms  in  his  camp, 
who  have  often  fought  by  his  side,  and  whom  I  see 
alive  this  day  to  the  friendship  which  was  contracted 
in  adversity,  and  cemented  by  the  precious  blood 
of  many  a  fallen  and  many  a  surviving  patriot. 
Ask  these  men ;  ask  all  of  this  description,  to  a 
man,  who  shall  be  convened  throughout  America, 
on  this  mournful  occasion,  what  the  deceased  Wash- 
ington was ;  whether  he  was  always  at  his  post 
in  the  hour  of  danger ;  whether  he  loved  his  coun- 
try; whether  he  wsis  faithful  to  the  important  trust 
which  she  committed  to  his  hands  ?  And  read  the 
answer  in  their  eyes. 

O  !  Washington  !  now  that  thou  art  gone,  deli 
cacy  to  thy  feelings  no  longer  forbids  strict  justice 
to  thy  merits.     To  thy  country  thou  ever  wast  a 
^^good  and  faithful  servant." 

When  the  storm  of  war  was  over,  he  took  an  af- 
fectionate leave  of  his  brave  companions  in  arms, 
resigned  his  commission  into  the  hands  of  Congress, 
and  returned  to  the  quiet  walks  of  private  life. 
But,  there  he  was  not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  repose. 
In  him  were  concentered  the  valour  of  the  soldier, 
and  the  wisdom  of  the  sage ;  and  he  was  called 
upon  by  the  unanimous  voice  of  his  countrymen,  to 
administer  the  government  which  they  had  ordain- 
ed, to  '•  preserve  domestic  tranquillity,-^  and  perpe- 
tuate the  liberty  lie  had  contributed  so  much  to  ac- 
quire. The  constitution  of  the  United  States  was 
quite  a  new  experiment.  It  was  the  result,  not  only 
of  their  united  wisdom,  but  of  their  mutual  couces> 
sions  also,  and  the  administration  of  it  must  of  ne- 
cessity have  been  an  arduous  task,  to  which  the 

2 


10  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

greatest  expericucc,  prudence  and  intelligence  alone 
were  adequate.  It  was  in  our  now  deceased  friend 
that  these  qualities  were  in  the  highest  degree  com- 
bined, and  on  his  shoulders  was  imposed  the  mighty 
burden.  In  the  capacity  of  Chief  Magistrate,  for 
eight  years,  he  laboured  incessantly  to  promote  the 
public  good,  which  evidently  appeared  to  be  the 
only  object  of  his  ambition. 

On  the  subject  of  politics,  I  am  but  little  instruct- 
ed, and  with  it,  it  is  still  less  my  inclination  to  inter- 
meddle. To  say  nothing,  then,  of  the  acknowledg- 
ed superiority  of  the  beloved  President's  talents  as 
a  statesman,  suffice  it  to  observe,  that  notwithstand- 
ing the  contrariety  of  opinion  that  soon  appeared 
amongst  our  fellow-citizens  respecting  government 
as  a  science,  or  the  administration  of  it  as  an  art ;  not- 
withstanding that,  upon  this  subject,  brother  and 
brother,  father  and  son,  were  often  found  divided 
against  each  other ;  yet,  not  the  smallest  suspicion 
of  George  Washington's  integrity  ever  mingled 
itself  with  any  disapprobation  of  public  measures. 

In  March,  1797,  he  resigned  this  honorable  and 
important  office,  and  retired  once  more  to  his  peace- 
ful abode  at  Mount  Vernon,  which  had  long  been 
the  favorite  object  of  his  wishes.  His  resignation 
was  accompanied  by  an  affecting  token  of  his  love, 
in  communicating  to  his  fellow-citizens  the  result  of 
his  experience,  and  in  tendering  to  them  his  last 
fatherly  advice  respecting  their  sentiments  and  con- 
duct towards  each  otlier,  and  their  true  policy  as  a 
nation.  And  then,  with  all  the  tenderness  of  paren- 
lal  fondness,  he  took  an  affectionate  leave. 


WASHINGTON.  11 

If,  on  this  sorrowful  occasion,  a  place  could  be 
found  for  any  criticism  on  his  style  and  composition. 
1  would  just  observe,  that  the  writings  of  Wash- 
ington, correct  without  study,  elegant  without  art, 
resemble  a  native  wood-land  flower,  which  displays 
numberless  indescribable  beauties  to  the  eye  of  every 
beholder,  itself  alone  unconscious  of  its  charms. 
While  his  precious  memory  shall  warm  and  animate, 
these  will  please,  instruct  and  edify  the  latest  pos- 
terity. 

He  now  flattered  himself,  that  he  had  bidden  a 
final  adieu  to  all  the  troubles  and  perplexities  of  pub- 
lic life,  and  that  he  should  be  permitted  to  spend 
the  little  remainder  of  his  days  in  peace.  But,  alas  ! 
the  deccitfulness  of  all  earthly  prospects!  like  the 
Patriarch  Abraham,  he  had  to  encounter  the  seve- 
rest trial  in  the  concluding  scene. 

His  country,  alarmed  by  the  apprehension  of  fo- 
reign danger,  cast  her  eyes  once  more  upon  her  well- 
tried,  faithful  General,  for  her  defence,  if  the  cala- 
mity which  seemed  to  impend,  should  actually  be- 
fal :  1  have  called  this  the  severest  trial,  because 
he  was  now  far  advanced  in  years,  and  his  arm  was 
enfeebled  by  age.  Cut,  old  as  he  was,  though  he 
heard  with  grief,  he  obeyed  with  promptitude  his 
country's  call,  and  prepared  himself  once  more  to 
take  the  field,  whenever  necessity  should  require, 
and  buckle  the  armour  on  his  weary  limbs. 

In  this  juncture  of  affairs,  it  pleased  the  God  of 
Heaven,  whose  councils  are  to  us  unknown,  to  take 
him  from  us,  and  release  him  from  all  his  labours. 
He  called  him  to  put  the  harness  off,  and  enter  into 
his  rest.     What  fate  awaits  our  beloved  country,  it 


12  ON  THE  DEATH  OF 

belongs  to  him  alone,  who  can  pry  iato  futurity,  to 
tell.  We  hope  and  trust  in  God,  that  the  olive 
branch  of  America  will  still  be  regarded,  and  that 
our  ambassadors  abroad  and  envoys  extraordinary, 
will,  by  his  blessing,  succeed  in  accommodating,  on 
honorable  terms,  all  existing  differences,  and  in  per- 
petuating peace  with  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

But  if  not ;  if  our  ears  are  again  to  be  assailed  by 
the  din  of  arms,  and  war  shall  rage,  we  shall  miss 
this  valiant,  faithful  man;  and  the  anxious  enquiry 
in  America  will  be,  where  shall  we  find  another 
Washington? 

In  drawing  the  character  of  the  great  and  illus- 
trious, it  is  not  the  only  object  to  pay  that  tribute  to 
merit  which  justice  demands,  but  especially  to  ex- 
hibit their  example  for  the  imitation  of  others.  With 
this  view,  permit  me  to  add,  that  our  departed  friend 
was  not  only  a  faithful,  but  a  Godly  man.  Fidelity 
to  his  country  was  an  amiable  and  striking  trait  in 
his  character ;  but,  to  render  it  complete,  we  add, 
piety  to  God.  This,  like  the  oil  on  Aaron's  robe, 
gives  it  a  sweet  perfume  ;  or,  like  the  mantle  of  Eli- 
jah, on  the  shoulders  of  Elisha,  it  spreads  majestic 
grace  and  glory  around  it.  Such  was  Washing- 
ton. Virtue  adorned  his  private  life,  and  his  first 
act  of  Providential  duty  was  to  dedicate  himself  to 
God,  and  commend  his  country  to  his  Divine  pro- 
tection. This  act  of  piety  made  the  hearts  of  all 
good  men  in  America  glad,  and  they  rejoiced  under 
the  auspices  of  a  chief  magistrate  who  thus  paid 
homage  to  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe. 

But,  still  more  was  the  piety  of  their  General  the 
ground  of  their  confidence  through  the  more  perilous 


WASHINGTON.  13 

scenes  of  war.  While  his  valor  and  fortitude  quali- 
fied him,  above  his  fellows,  for  the  command  of  a 
patriotic  army,  this  not  only  endeared  him  to  all  the 
wise  and  virtuous,  but  made  him,  as  they  rightly  sup- 
posed, the  peculiar  care  of  Heaven.  They  were  not 
mistaken.  This  fortified  his  integrity,  and  this  se- 
cured his  camp.  The  valiant  Chief,  although  he 
was  himself  an  host,  and  superior  in  courage  and 
conduct  to  the  opposite  commanders,  yet  knowing 
that  "  the  battle  was  not  always  to  the  strong," 
with  his  eyes  directed  to  Heaven,  commended  him- 
self and  his  army  to  the  guidance  of  infinite  wis- 
dom, and  to  the  protection  of  our  omnipotent  shield. 
Thus  qualified,  he  went  forth  nnder  the  banners  of 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  :  he  fought  iu  his  fear,  and  con- 
quered in  his  name. 

^•^The  first  in  peace  and  the  first  in  war,"  he  was 
a  singular  example  of  virtue  and  piety  in  both.  In 
the  humble  sphere  of  private  life,  in  the  more  splen- 
did chair  of  state,  and  amidst  the  confusion  and  li- 
centiousness of  war,  this  great  man  *^  walked  with 
God."  His  heart  was  impressed  with  the  highest 
reverence  for  his  Holy  name,  and  in  his  presence  the 
mouth  of  the  profane  was  shut. 

Who  of  the  heroes  of  antiquity  shall  compete  for 
fame  with  the  illustrious  Chief?  Alexander  was 
vain-glorious,  and  sometimes  cruel ;  Csesar  was  am- 
bitious ;  and  the  life  of  Cato  terminated  in  an  act  of 
suicide. 

But,  Washington  was  not  ambitious.  Such  was 
his  modesty,  that  but  for  the  trump  of  fame,  the  ri- 
sing generation  had  not  known  that  he  was  the 
"hero  of  liberty"  who  rescued  them  from  ])ondage. 


14  ox  THE  DEATH  OF 

Guided  by  the  wisdom,  and  protected  by  the  power, 
he  was  also  resigned  to  the  will  of  Heaven.  Piety 
adorned  his  youth  ;  it  rendered  his  *^  hoary  head  a 
crown  of  glory,"  and  softened  his  dying  bed.  His 
setting  sun  went  doAvn  unclouded  and  serene,  the 
happy  presage  of  a  bright  succeeding  day. 

Alas  !  "  The  Godly  man  hath  ceased,  and  the 
faithful  hath  failed." 

Heavy  and  afflictive  is  the  loss  wliich  the  people 
of  America  have  sustained  by  the  death  of  this  great 
man.  It  is  only  in  some  measure  retrievable  by  the 
improvement  we  shall  make  of  it.  Let  us,  then, 
under  this  sore  visitation,  learn  in  the  first  place, 
humbly  to  acknowledge  and  adore  the  hand  of  God. 
He  is  the  sovereign  disposer  of  all  events,  and  he  has 
a  right  to  do  whatsoever  he  will  with  his  own.  In 
his  adorable,  but  to  us  mysterious  providence,  he  has 
taken  away  our  Washington  ;  and  though  we  can- 
not but  mourn  his  loss,  yet,  since  it  is  the  will  of 
Heaven,  we  will  endeavour  not  to  repine. 

2.  To  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  let  us  add  a 
grateful  acknowledgement  of  Divine  goodness.  God 
who  hath  taken  our  dear  friend  away,  first  gave  him 
to  us,  qualified  for  the  most  important  purposes. 
The  whole  of  his  useful  life  was  devoted  to  the  good 
of  his  country,  and  he  lived  to  a  good  old  age.  He 
lived  to  perform  the  important  work  of  procuring  and 
establishing  the  independence  of  America,  and  pro- 
claiming liberty  to  all  her  sons.  Through  all  the 
perils  and  the  fatigues  of  war ;  amidst  the  dangers 
of  the  field  of  battle,  and  under  the  pitched  tent  on 
the  cold  ground  by  night,  the  life  and  health  of  the 
illustrious  Chief,  and  of  his  valiant  army,  were  most 


WASHINGTON.  15 

graciously  preserved.  Many  a  brave  patriot  fell ; 
but  the  General,  on  whom  so  much  tlepended,  was 
carefully  protected  from  the  "pestilence  that  walk- 
ed in  darkness,  and  from  the  arrow  which  flew  by 
day."  Nor  was  he  taken  hence,  until  he  saw  his 
country  smiling  in  peace,  and  settled  under  the 
most  excellent  constitution  that  any  nation  on  earth 
ever  enjoyed.  For  all  these  mercies,  "  let  the  peo- 
ple praise  thee,  O  God ;  let  all  the  people  praise 
thee." 

3.  The  character  of  the  deceased,  while  it  en- 
dears his  memory,  should  also  be  improved  into  a 
source  of  consolation  to  all  who  mourn  his  death. 
People  of  America !  aflfectionate  fellow-citizens  of 
liis  native  State !   ye  may  weep  for  yourselves,  but 

weep  not  for  Washington.  He  rests  at  length 
from  all  his  labours ;  and  if  a  mansion  be  prepared 
in  glory,  for  piety  and  virtue,  thither  I  trust  he  is 
gone,  and  there  will  he  shine,  as  a  star  in  the  firma- 
ment, for  ever  and  ever.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead 
who  die  in  the  Lord." 

4.  Suffer  me  to  recommend  the  example  of  our 
departed  friend,  to  the  imitation  of  his  countrymen. 
It  is  dignified  and  lovely,  and  shews  to  what  per- 
fection human  nature  may  arrive.  In  this,  although 
he  is  dead,  he  still  speaks  to  us.  Ye  youth  of 
America,  the  hope  of  your  country !  ye  rising  pa- 
triots of  Virginia !  learn  that  to  be  truly  great,  you 
must  be  sincerely  good. 

Who  will  now  fill  the  place  of  the  American 
chief?  The  expecting  eyes  of  your  country  are 
turned  upon  you.  She  will  have  need  for  you  in 
the  cabinet,  at  least,  if  not  in  the  field.     If  you 


16  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  WASHINGTON. 

would  be  prepared  to  do  her  service,  study  the  cha- 
racter, cultivate  the  virtues,  and  follow  the  exam- 
ple of  your  Washington. 

5.  Finally,  let  us  improve  this  solemn  occasion, 
by  serious  reflections  on  our  own  tendency  to  dust. 
AVe  have  here  no  abiding  city.  *'  It  is  appointed 
to  all  men  once  to  die,"  and  the  temple  of  this  body 
will  soon  be  dissolved.  Let  us  apply  to  the  Re- 
deemer of  the  world  for  pardon  and  salvation.  Let 
us  implore  the  assistance  of  Divine  grace,  that  we 
may  **  so  number  our  days  as  to  apply  our  hearts 
to  wisdom."  Let  us  cordially  imbibe  the  princi- 
ples of  piety,  and  steadily  pursue  the  practice  of 
virtue ;  so  that  when  this  "  earthly  house  of  our  ta- 
bernacle shall  be  dissolved,  we  may  have  a  build- 
ing of  God,  a  house  not  made  witli  hands,  eternal 
in  the  Heavens." 


ON  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  GOD.  17 

ON  THE  GOVERNMENT  OF  GOD. 

^'  The  Lord  reigneth^  let  the  earth  rejoice :  let  the 
multitude  of  Isles  be  glad  thereof.'^ 

Psalms,  97th  chap.  1st  verse. 

The  state  of  man  on  earth,  is  a  state  of  imperfec- 
tion and  of  dependence.  Ever  anxious  about  futu- 
rity, and  deeply  interested  in  it,  yet  unapprised  of 
the  events  which  await  him,  and  which  time  alone 
will  disclose ;  seeing  but  darkly,  and  imperfectly 
comprehending  the  objects  which  surround  him; 
an  incompetent  judge,  at  best,  of  what  is  really 
good  for  him  in  the  present  state,  he  would  seem, 
indeed,  to  walk  in  a  vain  show,  if  he  were  not  di- 
rected to  a  power  higher  than  himself.  But,  when 
taught  to  put  himself  under  the  guidance  of  Divine 
wisdom,  and  under  the  protection  of  an  Almighty 
arm,  he  will  feel  himself  secure,  and  will  be  confi- 
dent of  all  necessary  support  and  consolation,  con- 
sidering within  himself  that  ''the  Lord  reigneth." 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented,  however,  that  pre- 
sumption too  often  accompanies  ignorance ;  and, 
that  the  blindness  of  men  to  their  own  imperfections, 
renders  them  Ijlind,  also,  to  their  best  interests,  and 
to  the  necessity  of  looking  up  for  counsel  and  wis- 
dom from  above.  On  this  account,  it  is  the  unhap- 
py lot  of  many  to  live  without  God  in  the  world : 
in  a  state  of  prosperity,  without  any  sense  of  obli- 
gation ;  and  in  the  day  of  adversity,  without  conso- 

3 


18  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT 

lation  or  hope.  It  is  surely  evident,  from  the  insta- 
bility of  human  things;  from  the  great  variety  of 
scenes  through  which  we  pass ;  from  the  frequent 
occurrence  of  untoward  events,  which  we  could  not 
foresee,  or,  foreseeing,  were  unable  to  control ;  from 
the  failure  of  the  best  concerted  plans,  and  from  the 
woful  effects  which  success  itself  is  sometimes  found 
to  produce,  that  the  lot  of  man  is  not  at  his  own  dis- 
posal. When  we  see  that  ^^  the  race  is  not  always 
to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the  strong,"  we  are 
led  to  contemplate  the  high  dispensations  of  Divine 
Providence.  Hence,  then,  it  is  the  duty  and  the 
privilege  of  man,  to  make  the  Lord  his  sanctuary, 
and  place  his  trust  in  the  rock  of  his  salvation.  To 
this  we  are  frequently  encouraged  in  his  word :  and 
in  his  government  is  the  earth  invited  to  rejoice. 

In  the  further  contemplation  of  this  subject,  we 
are  naturally  led  to  consider  the  attributes  of  God, 
as  the  ground  of  our  trust  and  consolation  in  Him, 
as  the  Governor  of  the  World. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  he  possesses  all  power.  His 
arm  is  strong  and  mighty.  He  can  do  whatsoever 
he  will,  and  none  can  hinder  him.  He  ruleth  with 
uncoutroulable  sway  in  the  armies  of  Heaven,  and 
doth  his  pleasure  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth.  He  sitteth  on  his  throne  and  commandeth 
all  the  elements.  The  lightnings  flash,  the  thunder 
roars,  the  earthquake  rocks  the  ground,  in  obedience 
to  his  sovereign  orders ;  and  they  are  limited  in 
their  extent  and  operation  by  his  controuliug  power. 
He  curbs  the  fury  of  the  tempests,  and  prescribes 
their  bounds  to  the  billows  of  the  ocean.  He  re- 
strains the  wrath  of  man,  and  at  his  presence  the 


OF  GOD.  19 

devils  flee.     Nothing  can  withstand  his  power;  no- 
thing resist  his  will.     All  created  things  are  in  his 
hand,  for  he  made  them  all.     He,  then,  who  makes 
the  Lord  his  trust ;  who  puts  himself  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Almighty,  shall  stand  secure.     He 
shall  be  established  on  a  rock,  and  say  within  him- 
self, if  the  Lord  be  for  me,  who  can  be  against  me  ? 
Dangers  may  threaten  and  foes  invade ;  but  dan- 
gers shall  not  appal,  nor  foes  prevail  against  the 
man    whose    defence    is   the   munition   of   rocks. 
Though  weak  in  himself,  he  is  strong  in  the  Lord, 
and  in  the  power  of  his  might.     The  language  of 
the  Psalmist,  on  this  subject,  is  very  natural,  and 
highly  expressive  of  that  confidence  which  the  pro- 
tection of  God  inspires  :  ^'  The  Lord  is  on  my  side ; 
I  will  not  fear.     What  can  man  do  unto  me  ?     The 
Lord  is  the  strength  of  my  life ;  of  whom  shall  I 
be  afraid  ?     Though  an  host  should  encamp  against 
me,  my  heart  shall  not  fear.     Though  wars  should 
rise  against  me,  in  this  will  I  be  confident.^'     The 
favour  and  protection  of  an  able  earthly  friend,  is  no 
little  consolation ;  but,  it  is  infinitely  better  to  trust 
in  the  Lord,  than  to  put  confidence  in  princes.  Many 
are  the  exigencies  of  life,  in  which  none  but  God 
can  support,  or  deliver  us.     His  arm  is  never  shor- 
tened that  it  cannot  save.     He  is  a  ready  and  an 
all-sufficient  help  in  every  time  of  need.     Does  the 
poor  man  cry  ?     Is  the  lonely  traveller  distressed 
in  the  wilderness  ?     The  Lord  shall  send  them  food. 
Is  innocence  helpless,  and  in  any  instance  oppres- 
sed ?     Let  it  not  despond ;  it  shall  not  be  utterly 
cast  down  while  the  Lord  reigneth.  He  can  rebuke  the 
oppressor  and  set  the  captive  free.     Let  the  widow 


20  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT 

rejoice,  that  the  Lord  reigneth,  for  he  is  the  widow's 
God.  Let  the  stranger  rejoice,  for  God  is  his  sliield. 
Let  the  orphan  rejoice,  for  God  is  liis  stay.  Let 
the  whole  earth  rejoice,  for  *^  the  Lord  God  omnipo- 
tent reigneth.'' 

2.  In  God,  the  Governor  of  the  World,  there  is 
infinite  wisdom  to  direct  the  exercise  of  Almighty 
power.  If  he  can  do  what  he  will,  he  will  also  do 
what  is  right.  He  is  not  only  wonderful  in  work- 
ing, but  he  is  wise  in  counsel.  The  influence  of 
misguided  power  might  injure  or  destroy  whom  it 
meant  to  befriend  and  relieve ;  in  which  case,  there 
might  be  more  cause  to  fear,  than  to  rejoice.  Men, 
through  mere  weakness  of  judgment,  may,  and  of- 
ten, do,  make  a  destructive  display  of  their  power. 
But,  the  wise  Governor  of  the  World  surely  will 
do  right.  He  is  perfectly  skilled  in  all  the  affaii's 
of  his  government,  and  his  wisdom  directs  all  parts 
of  his  dominions.  We  cannot  survey  the  visible 
works  of  his  hand  without  being  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  his  wisdom.  We  may  well  adopt  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Psalmist,  and  say,  upon  a  review  of 
the  creation,  "  Wonderful  are  thy  works,  O !  Lord, 
and  in  wisdom  thou  hast  made  them  all.''  He  who 
from  a  dark  confused  chaos  could  bring  forth  the 
beautiful  and  well  ordered  system  of  the  universe, 
can  surely  be  at  no  loss  for  wisdom  to  conduct 
it  afterwards.  He  knows  how  to  order  all  things 
wisely,  and  to  accommodate  all  his  works  to  an- 
swer their  respective  ends.  He  can  bring  light 
out  of  darkness,  and  order  out  of  confusion.  The 
dispensations  of  his  providence  may  many*  times 
appear  to  us,  to  be  intricate  and  mysterious,  dark 


OF  GOD.  21 

and  gloomy  ;  we  can  neither  see  the  reason  of  tliem, 
nor  comprehend  the  design.  We  may  he  unable  to 
trace  his  footsteps :  clouds  and  darkness  may  ap- 
pear to  be  round  about  him ;  and  yet,  by  events, 
apparently  the  most  unpromising,  his  own  glory, 
and  the  happiness  of  his  creatures  shall  be  promo- 
ted. In  all  such  cases,  it  is  the  consolation  of  good 
and  considerate  men,  that  Grod's  providence  pre- 
sides, and  that  all  things  are  conducted  by  infinite 
wisdom.  Hence  are  they  encouraged  to  commit 
their  ways  to  God,  and  to  ask  counsel  of  him,  per- 
suaded that  he  will  direct  their  steps.  When, 
therefore,  God  promises  to  his  people  that  he  will 
lead  them  and  guide  them  with  his  eye ;  that  he  will 
be  a  light  to  them  in  darkness,  and  that  he  will  di- 
rect their  steps  ;  that  "  he  will  guide  them  by  his 
counsel  and  afterwards  receive  them  to  glory,"  they 
may  confidently  commit  the  keeping  of  their  ways 
to  him.  They  may  rejoice  in  his  government, 
doubly  secured  by  his  power  and  wisdom. 

3.  The  Lord  is  a  God  of  infinite  goodness.  Ter- 
rible, indeed,  to  such  guilty  siuners  as  we,  would 
be  the  strength  of  the  Almighty,  if  it  were  not  tem- 
pered with  mercy,  and  a  tender  regard  to  the  frailty 
of  his  creatures.  But,  he  remembereth  our  frame, 
that  we  are  but  dust ;  and  our  constant  experience 
of  his  goodness,  changes  the  dread  of  his  power  in- 
to a  confidence  of  his  protection.  He  is  good,  and 
he  doth  good  continually.  His  tender  mercies  are 
over  all  his  works.  "  The  Lord  God,  merciful  and 
gracious,  slow  to  anger,  abundant  in  goodness  and 
truth,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgressions  and  sins," 
is  his  memorial   to  all  generations.     He  sustains 


22  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT 

the  weak ;  be  relieves  the  oppressed ;  he  feeds  the 
poor.  His  mercy  visits  the  habitations  of  men ; 
and  there  is  no  living  creature  that  does  not  partake 
of  his  bounty.  He  is  ever  disposed  to  be  gracious ; 
but,  to  those  who  are  in  the  greatest  need  of  a  help- 
er, his  goodness  is  most  conspicuous,  and  his  provi- 
dence seems  most  actively  employed.  He  beholds 
the  falling  tear  ;  he  hears  the  voice  of  affliction ;  he 
answers  the  importunate  calls  of  poverty ;  he  de- 
lights in  rendering  happy  all  the  subjects  of  his  go- 
vernment. Indeed,  our  sins  often  render  it  neces- 
sary that  he  should  contend  with  us  in  judgment, 
and  that  the  dispensations  of  his  providence  should 
be  of  the  afflictive  kind.  But,  even  liere  we  cannot 
distrust  the  goodness  of  our  God,  for  his  tender  com- 
passions always  accompany  the  rod.  Afflictions  are 
necessary  to  reclaim  us  from  sin,  which  is  the  only 
source  of  lasting  sorrow.  Under  the  mild  govern- 
ment of  God,  they  are  designed  for  our  good,  and 
are  really  blessings  in  disguise.  We  must  acknow- 
ledge, after  all,  that  our  punishment  is  far  less  than 
our  iniquities  have  deserved  ;  and  thus  bear  our  tes- 
timony to  the  goodness  of  God.  Considering  the 
character  we  sustain  as  guilty  sinners,  and  the  situa- 
tion in  which  we  are  placed  as  candidates  for  eter- 
nity, the  corrections  of  his  hand  are  but  tokens  of 
his  love.  Afflictions  do  not  spring  out  of  the  dust. 
We  are  sure  that  God  doth  not  willingly  afflict  the 
children  of  men.  Judgment  is  his  strange  work, 
and  mercy  is  his  delight.  If  he  chastise  his  people, 
it  is  only  for  their  good ;  it  is  that  they  may  be  re- 
claimed from  dangerous  and  destructive  courses ; 
and  tliat  their  lisjht  afflictions,  which  are  but  for  a 


OF  GOD.  23 

inomeut,  may  work  out  for  them  a  far  more  exceed- 
ing and  eternal  weight  of  glory.  In  the  mean  time, 
he  does  not  abandon  whom  he  finds  it  necessary  to 
correct.  He  is  with  them  in  six  troubles,  and  in 
seven  he  does  not  forsake  them.  His  displeasure 
soon  passes  away,  and  he  changes  the  plaintive  ef- 
fusions of  sorrow  into  songs  of  praise.  His  "an- 
ger,'' says  the  Psalmist,  "  eudureth  but  a  moment. 
In  his  favour  is  life.  Weeping  may  endure  for  a 
night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning." 

4.  We  may  rejoice  in  the  government  of  God, 
because  it  is  always  righteous  and  impartial.  So- 
vereign and  independent,  he  is  no  respecter  of  per- 
sons, and  can  be  under  no  possible  temptation  to 
give  any  but  a  righteous  decree.  He  is  not  to  be 
flattered  by  compliments,  nor  terrified  by  threaten- 
ings,  nor  bribed  by  gold.  It  is  said,  in  the  book  of 
Proverbs,  ^^  that  many  will  entreat  the  favor  of  the 
Prince ;"  but  it  is  also  added,  that ''  favor  is  deceit- 
ful." When  men  are  umpires  in  any  cause,  they 
are  liable  to  an  influence  that  does  not  proceed  from 
the  merits  of  the  case.  The  diflferent  circumstances 
of  the  contending  parties :  the  prospect  of  advantage, 
or  habits  of  intimacy  with  one  or  the  other:  or  the 
partial  discernment  of  the  Judge  may  induce  him  to 
pervert  judgment,  or  may  expose  him  to  the  danger, 
against  his  inclination,  of  passing  an  unrighteous 
sentence.  But  this  happens  not  under  the  govern- 
ment of  God.  He  suspends  an  equal  scale,  and 
holds  the  balance  even.  The  injured  and  oppress- 
ed may  appeal  to  him  with  confidence,  as  the  aven- 
ger of  their  wrongs.  Prosperous  wickedness  re- 
ceives no  countenance  from  him;  and  from  the  com- 


24  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT 

plaints  of  poverty  he  turns  not  away.  He  regards 
not  the  rich  any  more  than  the  poor:  they  meet  to- 
getlier  before  him  on  equal  terms;  for,  they  are  all 
the  work  of  his  hands.  It  may  be  alledged,  per- 
haps, that  this  doctrine,  though  necessarily  true,  is 
not  applicable  to  the  present  state  of  the  world  ;  and 
that  it  will  not  bear  the  test  of  experience  and  ob- 
servation. We  see  that  fraud  is  practised,  and  op- 
pression too  often  exercised  with  success,  amongst 
men.  To  this  it  may  be  answered,  that  the  gains 
of  dishonesty,  and  the  reign  of  oppression,  are  not 
of  any  long  continuance :  and  to  an  attentive  obser- 
ver of  the  providence  of  God,  even  in  the  present 
life,  it  will  probably  appear,  that  in  the  end,  he 
only,  that  ^'  walketh  uprightly,  walketh  surely.'^ 
But,  however  this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  there  is 
a  day  of  retribution  approaching,  when  all  these 
differences  shall  be  finally  adjusted ;  when  the 
rigliteous  shall  receive  their  recompence  of  reward, 
and  the  wicked  shall  suffer  the  wages  of  their  iniqui- 
ty. In  the  mean  time,  it  is  the  influence  of  this  im- 
pression to  support  the  good  man  in  his  integrity, 
and,  in  some  measure,  at  least,  to  arrest  the  designs 
of  the  violent  and  unjust.  Let  the  good  man,  then, 
'^  commit  his  way  unto  the  Lord  ;  let  liim  trust  in 
him,  and  he  shall  bring  forth  his  righteousness  as 
the  light,  and  his  judgment  as  the  noon  day." 

5.  We  may  rejoice  that  the  Lord  reignetb,  be- 
cause he  is  every  where  present.  Dependent  as  we 
are  at  all  times,  upon  his  care  and  protection,  it 
should  be  a  ground  of  consolation  to  us,  that  he  is 
continually  about  our  path,  a  present  help  in  every 
time  of  need.     He  is  not  like  the  Gods  of  the  Hea- 


OF  GOD.  25 

then,  "on  a  journey,  or  perad  venture  asleep,  or  en- 
gaged about  other  business,"  when  their  votaries  call 
upon  them  in  their  distress.  The  Lord  is  ever  near 
to  them  that  are  in  trouble.  His  ear  is  never  *^  hea- 
vy that  it  cannot  hear,  nor  his  arm  shortened,  that 
it  cannot  save.''  While  we  perform  the  labours  of 
the  day,  the  Lord  is  our  sun  and  shield  ;  and  when 
we  lie  down  at  night,  we  rest  secure  under  his  guar- 
dian care,  for  the  watchman  of  Israel  never  slum- 
bers nor  sleeps.  He  presides  over  the  tumults,  and 
defends  from  the  dangers  of  the  populous  city  :  nor 
is  the  obscure  inhabitant  of  the  sequestered  cottage 
deprived  of  his  presence.  Whether  we  travel  the 
public  road,  or  roam  through  the  pathless  desert, 
the  eyes  of  God  are  equally  upon  us,  and  we  are 
continually  attended  by  the  angel  of  his  providence. 
Among  the  many  incidents  of  human  life,  it  may 
happen  to  be  one,  that  we  shall  be  removed  from  all 
our  earthly  friends ;  and,  overtaken  by  calamity, 
can  find  none  to  whom  we  can  make  known  our  ne- 
cessities, or  from  whom  we  can  expect  relief;  but, 
no  change  of  place  or  circumstances,  deprives  us  of 
the  notice  and  protection  of  God.  He  is  never  far 
from  every  one  of  us,  for  "in  him  we  live  and  move, 
and  have  our  being."  The  tear  that  falls  in  secret, 
and  the  sigh  which  heaves  the  bosom  of  the  solitary 
mourner,  are  noticed  by  him  who  is  every  where 
present.  If  we  should  "  take  the  wings  of  the- morn- 
ing and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea,  even 
there  would  his  hand  lead  us,  and  his  right  hand 
upliold  us."  In  short,  whatever  we  do,  or  whither- 
soever we  go,  we  are  under  the  notice  and  protection 
of  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe ;  and  in  this  sense  we 

4 


26  ON  THE  GOVERNMENT 

may  say  in  the  consolatory  language  of  the  Psal- 
mist, "  O !  Lord,  I  am  continually  with  thee." 
Nor  is  the  sense  of  the  Divine  administration  a  sup- 
port and  comfort  to  the  mind,  in  the  different  stages 
of  life  only,  hut  also,  in  the  hour  of  our  final  disso- 
lution. Life  and  death  are  equally  in  his  hand. 
The  same  staff",  which  conducts  through  the  former, 
supports  us  also  in  the  latter.  He,  who  ruleth  in 
the  Heavens,  is  as  much  present  with  us  at  the  close 
of  life,  as  at  our  entrance  upon  it,  or  our  progress 
through  it.  Hence  the  consolation  of  the  Psalmist : 
"  Though  1  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 
of  death,  yet  will  I  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with 
me." 

6.  I  shall  only  mention  once  more,  that  it  is  a 
ground  of  rejoicing  in  the  government  of  God,  that 
he  ever  livetli.  If  it  be  a  happiness  to  be  under  the 
Divine  government  at  all,  it  must  be  no  small  conso- 
lation that  it  endureth  for  ever.  In  the  fluctuating 
state  of  human  things,  if  we  are  contented  and  plea- 
sed with  the  administration  of  an  earthly  ruler,  we 
anticipate  with  pain  the  period  of  his  dissolution ; 
when  he  must  resign  his  authority  and  leave  us  to  a 
precarious  dependence  on  the  whim,  perhaps,  or  on 
the  weakness  of  his  successor.  Let  the  righteous 
then  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  "  for  his  kingdom  ruleth 
over  all;  for,  he  will  guide  them  by  his  counsel 
while  they  live,  and  afterwards  receive  them  to 
glory." 

Let  us  now  consider  what  improvement  is  to  be 
made  of  this  subject.  Various  are  the  reflections 
which  it  suggests  ;  but  that  1  may  come  to  a  conclu- 
sion, I  shall  content  myself  with  one. 


OF  GOD.  27 

If  the  Lortl  reigneth,  we  may  learn  on  our  part, 
the  great  importance  and  the  indispensable  necessi- 
ty of  piety  and  virtue.  It  is  the  exercise  of  these 
only,  that  can  warrant  us  to  expect  his  protection 
or  his  favour.  Without  a  consciousness  of  our  own 
integrity,  how  can  we  trust  in  God  ?  His  mercy 
will  encourage  the  penitent ;  his  power  uphold  the 
upright,  and  his  justice  reward  tlie  faithful ;  but,  he 
will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty. 

If  our  own  hearts  condemn  us  not,  we  may  have 
confidence  towards  God ;  but,  to  this  a  sense  of 
guilt,  unaccompanied  by  repentance  towards  God, 
and  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  must  always 
prove  an  insuperable  barrier.  Let  us,  then,  think 
upon  our  ways,  and  turn  our  feet  to  the  testimonies 
of  God.  Let  us  apply  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling, 
that  our  consciences  may  be  cleansed  from  dead 
works.  Let  us  keep  our  hearts  with  all  diligence. 
Let  our  conversation  be  as  it  becometh  the  Gospel 
of  Christ ;  that,  instead  of  trembling  because  a  righ- 
teous God  reigns  over  us,  we  may  rejoice  in  his  go- 
vernment, now  and  forever. 


28  ON  THE  CONDESCENSION 

ON  THE  CONDESCENSION  OF  GOD. 

"  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  7  And 
the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ?" 

Psalms,  8th  chap.  4th  verse. 

It  was  a  survey  of  the  creation,  displayed  before 
the  eyes  of  the  Psalmist,  that  drew  from  him  the  ex- 
clamation in  the  text.  At  the  time,  without  doubt, 
a  consciousness  of  his  own  insignificancy  and  un- 
worthiness,  combined  with  the  splendour  and  mag- 
nifi.cence  of  the  scene  he  was  contemplating,  to  fill 
his  mind  with  wonder.  ^^  When  I  consider,"  says 
he,  "  thy  Heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers ;  the 
moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  liast  ordained,  what 
is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  And  the  son 
of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  V 

When  he  considered  the  structure  of  the  Heavens 
in  all  their  order  and  beauty,  and  all  their  appen- 
dages ;  the  dazzling  sun,  the  silver  moon,  and  all 
the  twinkling  stars  of  light,  he  could  speak  of  them 
with  less  emotion ;  because,  nothing  less  could  be 
expected  as  a  manifestation  of  the  power  and  wisdom 
of  the  Great  Architect  of  Heaven  and  Earth.  Ac- 
cordingly, in  the  19th  Psalm,  he  speaks  of  them  in 
all  the  composure  of  a  devout  philosopher  :  ^^  The 
Heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  firmament 
sheweth  his  handy  work.  Day  unto  day  uttereth 
speech,  and  night  unto  night  sheweth  knowledge. 
There  is  no  speech  nor  language,  where  their  voice 
is  not  heard.     Their  line  is  gone  out  through  all 


OF  GOD.  29 

the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
In  them  hath  he  set  a  tabernacle  for  the  sun/*'  But, 
when  he  comes  to  consider  for  whom  all  these  splen- 
did preparations  were  made ;  for  whose  use  they 
were  intended  and  continued,  then,  as  might  well 
be  expected,  he  is  lost  in  astonishment.  Can  it  be, 
that  all  these  were  intended  for  the  accommodation 
of  man  !  If,  with  the  Psalmist,  we  take  a  survey 
of  the  visible  works  of  God,  and  bear  in  mind,  while 
we  are  doing  so,  for  whose  use  they  were  designed, 
and  to  whose  accommodation  they  were  all  adapted, 
we  shall  find  reason,  and  feel  a  disposition,  it  is 
hoped,  to  join  with  him  also,  in  his  strains  of  admi- 
ration. To  this,  the  subject  naturally  conducts  us. 
The  survey,  however,  shall  be  a  brief  one ;  because, 
for  one  reason,  the  theme  is  inexhaustible ;  but, 
chiefly  because,  however  stupendous  and  splendid 
should  be  the  objects  that  might  meet  our  eyes,  we 
should  be  called  to  contemplate  in  the  history  of 
man,  more  wonderful  things  done  for  him,  by  his 
gracious  Creator,  than  the  earth,  or  sea,  or  air,  or 
sun,  or  moon,  or  all  the  host  of  Heaven,  or  all  con- 
joined in  one,  would  be  able  to  exhibit  to  our  aston- 
ished view.  We  shall,  however,  first  pursue  the 
train  of  reflection  pointed  out  to  us  in  the  words  of 
the  text,  and  a  few  of  the  verses  which  follow.  Be- 
fore man  was  formed,  we  cannot  read,  but  with  won- 
der, tlie  grand  preparations,  and  the  magnificent 
mansion  which  God  was  making  for  his  reception. 
In  these  works,  although  the  Almighty  might  have 
spoken  them  all  into  existence  in  an  instant,  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  he  was  pleased  to  advance  by 
progressive  steps.     The  angels,  who  are  afterwards 


30  ON  THE  CONDESCENSION 

represented  in  the  gospel,  as  prying  with  out- 
stretched necks  into  the  mysteries  of  the  babe  of 
Bethlehem,  we  may  well  suppose,  were  spectators 
of  the  Almighty's  works,  in  the  gradual  creation  of 
the  world,  for  the  residence  of  man.  With  won- 
der, when  they  saw  the  earth  without  form  and  void, 
and  darkness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep,  they 
heard  the  sovereign  mandate,  and  beheld  its  instan- 
taneous effect,  when  God  said,  "  let  there  be  light :" 
M'hen  they  saw  him  dividing  the  light  from  the  dark- 
ness, and  thus  concluding  the  iirst  day's  work.  And, 
when  at  the  end  of  the  fifth,  they  beheld  the  work 
completed ;  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars,  the  earth, 
the  sea  and  the  air,  all  beautifully  arranged,  and 
teeming  with  birds  and  fish,  and  flocks  and  animals 
of  every  description,  that  were  calculated  for  use, 
how  high  must  have  been  their  anticipation  of  the 
purposes  for  which  they  were  intended  !  Behold, 
they  were  all  prepared  for  the  reception  and  accom- 
modation of  man.  On  the  sixth  day,  God  said, 
'^  Let  us  make  man,"  and  he  created  him  in  his  own 
image,  and  gave  him  the  dominion  over  the  fish  of 
the  sea,  and  over  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  over  every 
living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth.  The  Al- 
mighty is  then  represented  in  Holy  writ,  as  taking 
a  survey  of  the  works  of  his  hand,  and  pronouncing 
them  all  very  good.  Then  the  morning  stars  sang 
together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for  joy. 

All  these  grand  preparations  were  made  for  man, 
before  his  introduction  into  his  terrestrial  paradise. 
The  sun,  the  brightest  natural  image  of  the  great 
Creator ;  the  moon,  that  rules  by  night ;  the  earth, 
that  yielded  spontaneous  fruits  and  flowers;  the 


OF  GOD.  31 

flocks,  that  were  clestitied  to  skip  on  the  mountains, 
or  graze  in  the  valley,  with  all  beasts,  both  tame 
and  fierce ;  the  birds,  that  cleave  the  air  or  warble 
in  the  grove ;  all  fish,  that  swim  in  the  sea,  from  the 
leviathan  to  the  smallest  tribe — in  short,  all  the  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  kingdoms  were,  all  of  them,  cre- 
ated subservient  to  the  use,  and  subject  to  the  con- 
trol of  man.  And  what  is  man  ?  A  creature  of  yes- 
terday, whose  breath  is  in  his  nostrils ;  yet,  never  • 
theless,  by  the  appointment  of  God,  the  mighty  mo- 
narch of  the  land  and  of  the  sea ;  the  monarch,  in 
short,  of  all  that  he  surveys.  The  sun,  who  like  a 
giant  rejoices  to  run  his  race,  rises  but  for  the  re- 
freshment, and  sets  but  for  the  repose  of  man.  It 
enlightens,  warms  and  invigorates  him,  through  all 
the  business  of  the  day;  and  when  it  is  time  to  rest, 
behold,  he  retires ;  the  evening  shades  prevail,  the 
curtains  of  the  night  are  drawn  around  him,  and  all 
nature  is  hushed  to  silence,  that  nothing  might  in- 
terrupt the  slumbers  of  this  great  lord  of  all  things 
here  below.  For  him,  the  forests  tower ;  for  him, 
the  mountains  rise ;  for  him,  the  valleys  sink ;  for 
him,  the  fertilizing  and  refreshing  shower  descends; 
for  him,  the  meadows  are  perfumed  with  flowers ; 
for  him,  the  garden  blooms ;  for  him,  are  the  blos- 
soms of  spring,  the  shade  of  summer,  and  the  fruits 
of  autumn ;  for  him,  the  whole  earth  was  created  to 
yield  her  increase. 

Having  exhibited  man  principally  as  lord  of  this 
lower  world,  we  will  now  consider  him  with  respect 
to  the  moral  qualities  and  the  intellectual  powers 
with  which  he  was  endued  at  his  creation,  his  pre- 
sent state,  and  future  prospects.      Could  we  draw 


32  ON  THE  CONDESCENSION 

ail  adequate  description  of  man  in  these  parts  of  bis 
character,  we  should  exhibit  a  picture  which  woubl 
produce  very  different  emotions ;  a  portrait  well  cal- 
culated to  excite  our  wonder,  our  regret,  our  grati- 
tude and  our  praise. 

From  the  present  state  of  man,  it  is  difficult  to  con- 
jecture, and  impossible  to  ascertain  exactly,  what  he 
originally  was;  because,  our  powers,  enfeebled  by 
the  fall,  are  inadequate  to  describe  in  full,  what  we 
are  capable  of  realizing  only  in  part.  Yet,  as  from 
the  fragments  of  a  ruined  palace  we  may  behold  the 
vestiges  of  its  original  grandeur,  so  from  what  re- 
mains of  the  faculties  of  reason,  the  powers  of  geni- 
us and  the  hopes  of  immortality,  we  may  form  some 
faint  conceptions  of  primeval  man.  From  the  w  ord 
of  God,  however,  we  learn,  that  he  held  an  exalted 
rank  in  the  scale  of  his  works,  capable  of  conversing 
with  angels,  and  made  but  a  little  lower  than  they ; 
nay,  capable  of  maintaining  a  familiar  and  holy  in- 
tercourse with  Him  who  created  them  all.  Like 
the  second  Adam,  the  great  restorer,  the  first,  also, 
when  he  came  from  the  hands  of  his  Maker,  was 
without  sin  ;  he  was  pure  and  undefiled.  When 
the  rest  of  the  works  of  creation  were  completed, 
and  God  was  about  to  create  man,  as  if  omnipotence 
required  aid,  or  infinite  wisdom  lacked  counsel,  he 
is  represented  in  his  word  as  calling  a  council  in 
Heaven  on  the  occasion :  "  And  God  said,  let  us 
make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness ;  and 
let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea, 
and  over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and 
over  all  the  earth,  and  over  every  creeping  thing 
that  creepeth  upon  the  earth.     So  God  created  man 


OF  GOD.  33 

in  his  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him ; 
male  and  female  created  he  them.  And  God  blessed 
them ;  and  God  said  unto  them,  be  fruitful  and  mul- 
tiply and  replenish  the  earth  and  subdue  it,  and  have 
dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the 
fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that 
moveth  upon  sthe  earth."  And  forthwith,  to  con- 
fer an  honor  upon  Adam,  and  vest  him  with  this 
sovereignty,  God  was  pleased  to  cause  every  fowl 
of  the  air,  and  every  beast  of  the  field  to  pass  in  re- 
view before  him,  "  to  see  what  he  would  call  them  ; 
and  whatsoever  Adam  called  every  living  creature, 
that  was  the  name  thereof;"  Gen.  2,  19.  Thus 
was  man  created  in  the  image  of  God,  in  dignity  and 
honor,  in  righteousness  and  holiness,  with  dominion 
over  the  creatures.  O,  highly  honored  !  0,  happy 
human  pair !  In  paradise  they  walked  with  God, 
and  held  delightful  communion  Avith  him,  entirely 
conformed  to  his  image.  Man  was  not  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  earning  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his 
brow;  briars  and  thorns  did  not  then  infest  the 
ground :  but,  while  the  earth  produced  for  man 
spontaneous  fruits  and  flowers ;  all  that  was  plea- 
sant to  the  eye  and  savoury  to  the  taste,  he  employ- 
ed the  exalted  capacities  of  the  enraptured  soul,  in 
contemplating  the  glorious  perfections  of  his  Maker, 
in  celebrating  the  riches  of  his  grace,  and  admiring 
the  beauty  of  his  holiness.  These,  indeed,  were 
gladsome  times ;  then  did  peace  and  happiness 
abound  on  earth.  Concord  and  harmony  subsisted 
amongst  all  the  works  of  God.  Then  did  "the 
wolf  dwell  with  the  lamb,  and  the  leopard  lie  down 
Avith  the  kid  ;  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion,  and 

.5 


34  ON   THE  CONDESCENSION  OF  GOD. 

the  fatting  together;"  Isaiah,  11,  6.  Then  was 
n.0  danger  to  be  apprehended  from  the  asp,  nor  from 
the  cockatrice's  den.  Bat,  above  all,  the  supreme 
love  of  God  filled  and  transported  the  heart,  and 
holy  ajffections  of  God's  intelligent  creature,  man ; 
and  no  human  passion  excited  any  other  emotions 
than  those  of  wonder,  gratitude  and  praise. 

This  will  be,  in  some  measure,  the  state  of  things 
again,  in  the  reign  of  the  Redeemer,  who  will  bring 
in  an  everlasting  righteousness,  and  cause  religion 
to  dwell  on  earth  once  more. 

In  the  mean  time,  alas,  a  most  distressing  reverse 
of  things  presents  itself  to  our  view,  in  the  history 
and  state  of  man.  Who  could  suppose,  that  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  unspeakable  happiness  which  he 
enjoyed,  and  the  bright  prospects  and  promises  that 
were  placed  before  him,  he  w^ould  ever  have  with- 
drawn his  allegiance  from  his  Maker  ?* 

*  The  manuscript  of  this  sermon  is  incomplete.  It  was 
manifestly  the  author's  intention,  wliich  he  executed  in  de- 
livering the  sermon,  to  describe  the  fallen  state  of  man  and 
its  consequences,  as  illustrative  of  the  condescension  and 
compassion  of  God,  in  bestowing  on  him,  not  only  the  bles- 
sings of  this  life,  but  of  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ. 


THE  REMEMBRANCE  OF  GOD.  35 

THE  REMEMBRANCE  OF  GOD. 

''  Remember  now  thy  Creator^  in  the  days  of  thy 
youthJ^ 

Eccles.  12th  chap.  1st  verse. 

When  we  consider  the  nature  of  God,  and  the 
condition  of  man,  we  find  from  the  comparison,  that 
the  happiness  of  the  latter  was  the  design  of  his 
creation.  He  who  inhabits  eternity  and  the  praises 
thereof;  who  is  completely  blessed  in  the  enjoyment 
and  contemplation  of  his  own  perfections,  cannot  be 
supposed  to  have  derived  his  happiness  from  the 
creature  which  he  made ;  and  he  whose  darling  at- 
tribute is  mercy,  and  whose  goodness  is  over  all  his 
works,  could  have  no  other  view  in  bringing  thou- 
sands into  existence,  than  the  advancement  of  his 
declarative  glory  in  the  happiness  of  his  creatures. 
The  different  orders  of  God's  creation  are  calculated 
for  different  degrees  and  different  kinds  of  happi- 
ness. The  desires  of  the  inferior  orders  are  satis- 
fied by  temporal  enjoyments,  and  circumscribed  by 
the  narrow  bounds  of  time.  But,  man  seems  calcu- 
lated for  more  refined  enjoyments  than  mere  sensual 
pleasures,  and  has  more  extensive  desires  than  can 
be  satisfied  by  the  perishable  objects  of  time  and 
sense.  His  rational  nature  is  not  satisfied  witli 
bare  meat  and  drink  ;  but,  whilst  animal  nature  is 
supported  by  them,  his  soul  must  feed  on  intellectu- 
al pleasures,  or  otherwise  he  is  not  happy.    He  as- 


36  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

pires  to  tilings  more  refined  than  material  substance, 
and  more  lasting  than  time.  In  a  word,  he  is  des- 
tined to  immortality,  and  this  instruction  seems  en- 
graven on  his  nature,  as  well  as  inculcated  in  his 
catechism,  *'  that  the  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorif;^ 
God  and  enjoy  him  forever." 

This  being  the  case.,  it  is  evident,  that  man  has 
more  noble  employments  in  the  practice  of  his  duty, 
and  more  reiined  pleasures,  as  the  object  of  his 
pursuits,  than  the  inferior  orders  of  the  works  of 
God :  not  to  insist  on  the  exalted  nature  of  his  in- 
tellectual powers,  the  very  time  and  manner  of  his 
creation  denote  his  superior  eminence.  For,  after 
the  Almighty  Creator  had,  as  it  were  with  a  word, 
spoken  all  other  creatures  into  existence,  when  he 
w as  about  to  create  the  Lord  of  his  lower  world, 
whom  he  intended  to  endue  with  reason,  and  to 
make  in  his  own  image  and  likeness,  as  if  it  were  a 
work  of  too  much  importance  for  infinite  wisdom  to 
contrive  mthout  deliberation,  he  said,  *'  Come,  let 
us  make  man."  The  human  race  is  not  a  tumultu- 
ous and  unthouglit-of  work ;  they  were  designed 
for  eternal  existence,  and  created  with  powers  suit- 
ed to  the  final  end  of  their  destination.  Surely, 
then,  man  should  be  more  rational  in  his  conduct, 
and  more  aspiring  in  his  pursuits,  than  the  irration- 
al creatures ;  as  he  has,  by  nature,  a  more  excellent 
inheritance  than  they.  He  alone  is  endued  with 
reason,  and  made  capable  of  knowing  and  remem- 
bering his  Creator.  But,  alas,  it  is  hard  to  say, 
whether  he  is  more  distinguished  by  his  privileges, 
than  he  has  distinguislied  himself  by  the  mis-im- 
provement of  them.     He  only,  of  all  the  works  of 


OF  GOD.  37 

God  on  earth,  lias  not  answered  the  end  of  his  creation. 
By  nature  he  is  but  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  and 
by  practice  but  a  little  higher  than  the  irrational 
herd.  How  strange  and  unaccountable  a  being  is 
man !  How  high  !  How  low !  How  noble  ;  yet 
how  mean !  At  once  almost  a  God  and  brute. 
Through  the  allurements  of  present  objects,  he  be- 
comes entirely  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  temporal, 
perishable  things,  and  mistakes  his  principal  inter- 
ests, the  eternal  interests  of  his  soul.  He  lives,  as 
if  this  were  his  ultimate  place  of  residence,  and  as 
if  he  were  not  destined  to  eternity,  and  were  not  cal- 
culated for  purer  enjoyments  beyond  the  grave.  In- 
stead of  engaging  in  the  earnest  pursuit  of  those  ration- 
al pleasures,  for  which  men  by  nature  were  intend- 
ed, they  are  wholly  given  up  to  the  gratification 
of  sensual  appetites,  temporal  honors  or  emoluments. 
The  volnptuous  place  their  happiness  in  pampering 
the  body  ;  which,  instead  of  being  the  source  of 
health  and  happiness,  is  generally  the  source  of 
disease  and  misery.  They  forget,  that  the  body  is 
the  less  noble  part  of  man  ;  that  it  is  fast  hastening 
to  decay,  and  that  the  more,  by  the  very  pains  they 
take  in  nursing  it ;  and  that  at  best  they  only  render 
it  a  richer  prey  to  worms.  Surely  God  has  endu- 
ed men  with  reason  in  vain,  if  they  only  employ  it 
in  pursuit  of  enjoyments  which  are  common  to  tiiem 
with  the  brutes,  and  in  which  it  is  probable  the 
brutes  surpass  them.  The  ambitious  climb  the 
steep  ascent  of  honor,  not  considering  that  it  is  but 
an  imaginary  bubble,  that  depends  upon  another's 
breath,  easily  lost  and  hard  of  acquisition,  and  that 
they  only  fall  the  lower,  in  proportion  to  the  height 


38  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

to  which  they  ascended.  Others,  more  irrational  still, 
lay  claim  to  happiness  in  rioting  and  dissipation, 
M'hich  they  call  pleasures.  How  eager  are  they  in 
the  pursuit  of  intemperance  and  disease  !  Prepos- 
terously they  pervert  the  order  of  nature,  and  waste 
the  season  which  indulgent  Heaven  allotted  for  the 
repose  of  man,  in  scenes  of  wickedness.  View 
these  votaries  of  pleasure  arising  in  the  morning 
from  the  vigils  of  the  card-table,  morose  and  peevisli 
for  the  loss  of  money  or  the  want  of  rest.  What 
horrid  spectacles  will  you  then  behold !  What 
meagre  faces !  What  hollow  eyes  and  ghastly 
looks  !  The  countenance  as  pale  and  lifeless,  as  if 
they  had  just  risen  from  the  grave.  Unable  to  dis- 
charge the  most  ordinary  functions  of  life,  they  shut 
their  lifeless  eyes  upon  the  sun ;  go  with  the  plea- 
surable owls  to  bed,  and  as  they  had  misspent  the 
night,  they  also  waste  the  day  in  sleep.  And  is 
this  the  happiness  of  a  rational  creature  ? 

It  is  only  God,  and  the  things  of  religion,  that 
are  a  competent  portion  for  the  soul,  the  better  part 
of  man,  and  unless  to  these  objects  we  direct  our 
aim,  we  shall  forever  lose  the  happiness  to  which 
our  natures  are  adapted.  Try  all  the  arts  of  the 
world  in  the  prosecution  of  artificial  happiness,  and 
you  will  iind  them  fruitless,  because  they  are  unna- 
tural. We  may  pronounce  upon  them  all,  in  the 
judgment  of  the  preacher,  "  vanity  of  vanities,  all 
is  vanity." 

Let  me  recommend  to  you,  then,  the  opinion  of 
the  wise  man,  who  knew  the  full  value  of  human 
enjoyments :  "  Fear  God  and  keep  his  command- 
ments, for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man ;"  that  is? 


OF  GOD.  39 

the  whole  duty,  and  the  whole  happiness  of  man. 
Similar  to  this,  is  the  direction  given  in  the  text : 
''  Remember  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth." 

In  the  further  prosecution  of  this  subject,  I  shall 
endeavour,  in  the  first  place,  to  explain  what  it  is 
to  remember  our  Creator. 

In  the  second  place,  to  enforce  the  obligations  we 
are  under  to  remember  God ;  and 

In  the  third  place,  to  consider  the  propriety  of 
beginning  this  work  in  the  days  of  our  youth,  as 
the  most  favourable  season  of  our  lives. 

It  is  very  common  in  the  sacred  Scriptures,  to  see 
single,  comprehensive  expressions  used  to  denote  the 
substance  of  religion ;  such  as  faith,  wisdom,  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  the  knowledge  of  the  Holy. 

More  particularly  to  remember  our  Creator,  is, 
in  the  first  place,  to  have  a  habitual  sense  impres- 
sed on  our  minds,  of  the  nature,  perfections  and  om- 
nipresence of  God,  and  of  our  relation  to,  and  de- 
pendance  upon  Him.  Necessarily  connected  with 
these  reflections,  is  the  performance  of  the  duties 
which  we  owe  to  him,  as  our  Creator,  Preserver, 
Benefactor,  Redeemer. 

The  impression  of  the  greatness  and  majesty  of 
God,  will  fill  us  with  becoming  awe  and  adoration, 
and  the  sense  of  his  goodness  will  excite  our  love 
and  gratitude.  To  remember  God,  is,  in  a  woril  to 
acknowledge  him  in  all  our  ways,  and  to  pay  our 
homage  and  adoration  to  him.  It  is  for  want  of  this 
remembrance,  that  mankind,  in  general,  are  so  care- 
less and  unguarded  in  their  conduct.  Did  they  en- 
deavor to  entertain  just  notions  of  God,  of  his  pu- 
rity and  holiness,  and  of  his  omniscience  and  omni- 


40  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

presence;  if  they  considered  that  he  was,  as  it  wercy 
an  eye  witness  of  all  their  actions,  and  that  he  was 
of  purer  eyes  than  to  hehold  iniquity,  and  would . 
bring  them  to  a  severe  account,  they  surely  would 
not  dare  to  sin.  It  is  the  glory  and  happiness  of 
man^  that  he  is  capable  of  knowing  his  Creator, 
The  irrational  creatures  know  him  not;  they  are, 
indeed,  sustained  by  the  common  bounties  of  his 
providence,  and  are,  as  well  as  men,  the  constant 
beneficiaries  of  his  goodness ;  but  they  are  not  capa- 
ble of  looking  up  to  the  author  of  their  mercies,  and 
not  knowing  to  whom  they  are  indebted,  they  feel 
not  those  noble  and  exalted  pleasures,  which  the 
lively  sensations  of  gratitude  afford.  The  recol- 
lection of  our  relation  to  God,  and  our  dependance 
on  him,  will,  in  another  view,  point  out  the  duties 
which  also  are  included  in  the  remembrance  of  him. 
Is  he  our  Maker?  We  will  then  ol)ey  him.  Is  he 
our  Father  ?  We  will  love  and  fear  him.  Is  he 
our  Benefactor?  We  will  be  grateful  to  him.  Is 
he  our  Redeemer?  We  will  confide  in  him,  and 
devote  ourselves  to  him. 

This  leads  me,  in  the  second  place,  to  enforce  our 
obligations  to  remember  God. 

Nothing,  certainly,  more  naturally  points  out  ob- 
ligation, than  the  idea  of  Creator.  We  are  his,  for 
he  has  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves.  He  chal- 
lenges an  especial  propriety  in  us,  and  to  him  our 
services  are  justly  due.  But,  how  apt  are  proud, 
presumptuous  men  to  forget  their  Creator,  and  to 
contend  that  they  are  rather  the  effect  of  chance ! 
The  idea  of  Creator  implies  obligation,  and  inferi- 
ority ;  and,  in  consequence  of  obligation,  they  are 


OF  GOD.  41 

accountable  for  their  actions.  But,  such  is  the  pride 
of  the  heart  of  man,  he  is  not  contented  with  being 
the  Lord  of  tlie  lower  creation,  but  he  wishes,  also, 
to  own  no  superior,  in  Heaven  or  Earth.  Adam, 
their  stock,  aspired  to  an  equality  with  God,  and 
the  corrupted  branches  seem  to  have  inherited  the 
dreadful  contagion.  Plunging  into  the  depths  of 
Philosophy,  falsely  so  called,  and  availing  them- 
selves of  all  the  chicanery  of  scepticism,  they  fool- 
ishly endeavor  to  account  for  the  formation  of  the 
world,  and  all  its  inhabitants,  by  a  blind,  fortuitous 
concourse  of  atoms,  drawn  together  by  1  know  not 
what  imaginary  impulse.  Tliat  the  system  of  the 
world  was  formed  by  a  concourse  of  atoms,  is  strict- 
ly true;  but  they  proceeded  according  to  a  plan  de- 
vised by  Infinite  wisdom,  and  carried  into  execution 
by  Almighty  power.  If  it  were  not  so,  it  would  be 
diflBcult  to  say,  why  we  never  see  a  commodious 
and  stately  ediiice  erected  by  this  unaccountable 
jumble  of  atoms.  Besides,  whence  came  these 
atoms,  or  who  created  them  ? 

The  combined  order  and  harmony  of  God's  works, 
and  our  security  in  the  world,  is  another  obliga- 
tion on  us,  to  remember  our  Creator.  It  is  by  his 
bounty,  not  only  that  we  were  at  iirst  created,  but 
also,  that  we  are  constantly  preserved.  The  same 
power  that  first  produced  the  inanimate  parts  of  the 
creation,  still  preserves  them  in  their  revolutions: 
and  he  who  first  created  man,  upholds  him  still  in 
being.  Miserable  would  be  our  lot,  were  we  to  for- 
get our  Creator,  or  let  go  our  dependance  on  him. 
If  to  blind  chance,  we  ascribed  our  creation,  we 
should  have  no  security  for  our  continuance  in  life, 

6 


42  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

but  would  be  under  constant  apprehensions,  lest 
another  Idind,  unlucky  chance,  should  throw  into 
confusion  the  works  of  her  creation,  and  crush  us 
in  the  general  wreck.     When,  therefore,  we  consi- 
der our  wondrous  frame,  and  view  the  works  of 
nature,  let  us,  with  reverence  and  adoration,  remem- 
ber our  Creator.      Alas,  it  is  the  consciousness  of 
guilt  that  compels  men  to  deny  God,  and  in  order 
to  avoid  the  consequences  that  would   follow,  if 
they  acknowledged  hira,  and  to  allay  the  terrors  of 
a  future  judgment,  they  endeavor  to  argue,  or  rather, 
to  stupify  themselves  into  the  absurd  belief,  that  all 
things  come  by  chance,  until  at  length  '*  the  fool 
hath  said,  in  his  heart,  there  is  no  God."     But, 
is  the  sluggard  to  learn  a  lesson  from  the  industri- 
ous ant  ?    So  let  those  who  refuse  to  remember  their 
Creator,  learn  instruction  from  the  most  stupid  and 
slu2:2:ish  of  the  irrational  herd.      "The  ox  knows 
his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib,  but  Israel 
doth  not  know,  my  people  do  not  consider.'' 

Again,  if  the  idea  of  God  as  our  Creator,  is  not 
a  suflBcient  obligation  to  remember  him,  let  us  then 
try  the  force  of  gratitude,  while  we  consider  him  as 
our  bountiful  benefactor.  Had  he  created  us  only 
to  make  us  wretched,  and  to  answer  cruel  purposes 
by  our  slavish  subjection,  the  bare  idea  of  Crea- 
tor, might  perhaps,  fail  to  impress  us.  But,  for 
our  own  happiness  did  he  create  us ;  by  his  kind 
providence  he  upholds  us  in  life,  and  he  daily  feeds 
us  with  his  loving  kindness.  He  clothes  the  lilly 
of  the  valley  and  feeds  the  young  ravens  Avhen  they 
cry;  and  particularly  he  is  ever  mindful  of  the 
children  of  men  ;  he  feeds  and  clothes,  and  gives  us 


OF  GOD.  43 

* 

all  things  richly  to  enjoy.  He  is  good,  and  does 
good  continually,  making  his  sun  to  shine  and  the 
rain  to  fall  upon  the  evil  and  upon  the  good.  The 
husbandman  commits  his  seed  into  the  furrow,  but 
it  is  God  that  giveth  the  increase.  He  gives  us  rain 
from  Heaven  and  fruitful  seasons,  filling  our  hearts 
with  joy  and  gladness.  He  graciously  brings  forth 
the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and  in  due  time,  blesses  us 
with  a  plenteous  harvest,  abundantly  providing  for 
man  and  beast;  and  surely  when  his  people  eat, 
they  should  not  forget  him.  With  his  helping  hand, 
he  is  ever  near  us  to  supply  our  wants.  Verily,  my 
brethren,  "  he  is  not  far  from  every  one  of  us,  for  in 
him  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being." 

There  is  no  living  creature  who  has  not  experi- 
enced the  sweetest  emanations  from  this  benign  and 
blessed  fountain.  The  guardian  angel  of  his  provi- 
dence, is  ever  nigh  us  to  direct  our  steps,  and  de- 
liver us  from  troubles  aud  impending  danger.  When 
our  enemies  invade  us,  with  his  own  right  hand  he 
repels  the  blow  and  gives  us  peace ;  making  us  to 
sit  down  under  our  own  vines  and  our  own  fig  trees, 
having  none  to  make  us  afraid  ;  he  turns  tlie  swords 
into  plough-shares,  and  spears  into  pruning-hooks. 
The  people  of  this  land,  my  brethren,  have  the 
greatest  reason  to  remember  God,  who  pleaded  their 
cause  against  their  powerful  enemies.  With  a  lit- 
tle variation,  we  may  thankfully  adopt  the  praises 
of  the  Psalmist,  ^^  If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord,  who 
was  on  our  side,"  may  America  now  say,  '*  If  it  had 
not  been  the  Lord,  wlio  was  on  our  side  when  men 
rose  up  against  us,  tlien  they  had  swallowed  us  up 
(pjickly,  when  their  wrath  was  kindled  against  us." 


44  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

Did  the  children  of  Israel  look  back  to  the  twelve 
stones  which  Joshua  erected  as  a  monument  of  the 
goodness  of  (jod,  in  conducting  them  safely  through 
the  river  Jordan  ?  So  let  us,  also,  look  back  to 
the  right  hand  of  God,  which  fought  our  battles  in 
the  late  oppressive  war,  and  conducted  us  safely 
through  a  sea  of  blood,  to  the  land  of  peace  and 
freedom.  Shall  we,  then,  not  remember  God,  who 
has  done  so  great  things  for  us  ?  Surely  we  will 
make  mention  of  his  goodness.  O  !  clap  your  hands 
together  and  sing  praises,  all  ye  people.  But,  why 
enumerate  particular  obligations  ?  Our  whole  lives 
are  the  monuments  of  the  goodness  of  our  Creator. 
Young  and  old  have  reason  to  remember  him. 
Young  men  and  maidens  !  Remember  him  who 
made  you  his  care  in  your  helpless  infancy,  and 
guides  you  through  the  slippery  paths  of  youth. 
Old  men  and  matrons !  Look  back  to  that  gra- 
cious hand  that  has  supported  you  from  the  very 
womb ;  whose  good  providence  has  followed  you 
through  every  period  of  your  lives ;  has  given  you 
the  honor  of  a  hoary  head,  and  is  still  the  staif  of 
your  old  age.  Every  day  we  have  fresh  cause  to 
remember  our  Creator  ;  he  is  ever  multiplying  his 
mercies,  though,  alas  !  we  are  too  unthankful ;  he  is 
daily  increasing  our  obligations  to  him  for  his  good- 
ness, and  has  engraven,  as  it  were,  on  all  our  enjoy- 
ments, the  most  affecting  mementoes. 

Once  more ;  we  are  not  only  under  obligations, 
gratefully  to  remember  our  Creator  for  the  bounties 
of  his  providence,  but  more  particularly  for  the  espe- 
cial blessings  of  his  grace,  and  the  hopes  of  ever- 
lasting salvation  through  Jesus  Christ.     God,  in 


OF  GOD.  45 

his  gracious  providence,  bad  provided  for  man  be- 
fore be  made  bim.  He  settled  bim  in  tbe  beautiful 
garden  of  Eden,  wbere  be  found  all  tbings  ready  to 
his  band  and  appropriated  to  bis  use.  He  honored 
him  with  tbe  title  and  rank  of  Lord  of  tbe  Creation ; 
and  tbe  Earth,  of  her  own  accord,  produced  all 
things  for  hiui.  But,  even  in  this  deliglitful  situa- 
tion, be  abused  the  goodness  of  God,  and  lifted  up 
his  heel  against  tbe  band  that  made  bim,  and  loaded 
him  with  kindnesses  and  tender  mercies.  But,  so 
merciful  was  our  Creator,  that  be  did  not  destroy 
man,  as  in  justice  be  might,  but  still  bad  mercy  on 
tbe  work  of  bis  bands.  His  soul,  which  bore  tbe 
moral  image  of  its  Creator,  was  precious  in  bis 
sight,  and  be  provided  for  its  recovery  through  Je- 
sus Christ.  Thus,  to  tbe  bounties  of  his  providence, 
he  added  the  last  and  most  costly  gift  of  his  own 
dear  Son.  Surely,  then,  that  love  requires  the  most 
grateful  remembrance,  which  moved  God  to  pay  so 
great  a  price  for  our  salvation.  Had  all  nature 
smoked  on  tbe  altar  of  Heaven,  in  atonement  for 
the  sin  of  man,  it  would  have  been  nothing  to  tbe 
costly  blood  of  the  eternal  Son  of  God.  Surely  that 
Saviour  deserves  our  warmest  love,  who,  for  our 
sakes,  left  the  bosom  of  bis  Father  and  all  the  joys 
of  Heaven,  to  take  upon  himself  tbe  burden  of  our 
sins,  and  die  upon  the  cross,  that  he  might  purchase 
life  for  us.  Surely  he  must  be  lost  to  every  sense 
of  gratitude  and  every  tender  feeling,  who  could  for- 
get such  boundless  love.  What  were  we,  or  what 
our  fathers  before  us,  that  God  should  do  such  great 
things  for  us  ?  Had  one  of  our  fellow-men  done  us 
essential  service,  we  should  be  accounted  vile,  did 


46  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

we  not  endeavour  to  make  some  compensation.  But, 
the  grateful  remembrance  of  his  favours,  is  all 
tlie  return  we  can  make  to  the  Almighty ;  it  is 
all  that  he  requires,  and  surely  we  should  not  be 
deficient  in  that.  The  sufferings  of  our  innocent 
Siiviour,  borne  on  our  account,  call  for  our  remem- 
brance. Look  back  to  the  agonies  of  Gethsemane's 
garden,  where  he  sweated  great  drops  of  blood. 
Follow  him  to  Calvary,  and  view  him  toiling  up  the 
hill  with  the  weight  of  his  cross  upon  him ;  think 
what  he  suffered  when  his  God  forsook  him ;  think 
what  lie  suffered  when  they  nailed  him  to  the  ac- 
cursed tree,  and  his  precious  side  was  pierced  with 
the  spear ;  then  see  salvation  streaming  from  every 
vein,  for  the  sake  of  guilty  men.  Was  it  not  ama- 
zing pity  ?  Was  it  not  love  beyond  degree,  that  in- 
duced our  blessed  Jesus  to  endure  all  this  ?  Surely, 
then,  we  must  ever  hold  him  in  the  most  grateful 
and  affectionate  remembrance.  Surely,  if  we  have 
tears  to  shed,  we  must  shed  them  here ;  if  we  are 
capable  of  the  sense  of  gratitude,  this  spectacle 
must  call  it  forth. 

The  bloody  garment  of  Julius  Caesar,  who  was 
stabbed  iu  the  Senate  house,  kindled  afresh  the  re- 
membrance of  his  friends,  and  called  forth  all  their 
pity.  But,  what  is  the  blood  of  a  desperate  man,  to 
the  costly  blood  of  the  Sou  of  God  ?  Turn  your 
eyes  to  that  sad  spectacle  which  we  just  contempla- 
ted on  Calvary's  hill.  Who  is  this  that  cometh 
from  Edom  with  garments  rolled  in  blood  ?  It  is 
Christ  the  Lord.  See  in  his  side  the  stab  that  was 
given  by  the  accursed  spear,  and  mark  how  the 
blood  of  Jesus  follows  it.     And  whence,  my  breth- 


OP  GOD,  47 

reii,  are  all  these  sufferings  ?  Let  us  ever  remember  it 
with  heartfelt  gratitude ;  let  us  call  forth  all  the 
powers  of  our  souls,  to  bless  and  magnify  the  Lord ; 
it  was  for  the  sake  of  guilty  men. 

The  benefits  which  we  derive  from  the  sufferinsrs 
of  our  blessed  Lord,  also  call  loudly  for  our  grate- 
ful remembrance.  These  are  no  other  than  Heaven 
and  everlasting  happiness.  He  has  obtained  a  com- 
plete victory  for  us  over  death,  the  last  and  great- 
est enemy  of  our  souls.  As  he  formerly  divided 
the' floods  of  Jordan  for  his  chosen  people  to  pass 
through  to  the  promised  land,  so  does  he  also,  by  his 

grace,  divide  the  swelling  floods  of  that  cold  Jordan 
which  separates  between  the  world  of  misery  and  the 
Heavenly  Canaan,  and  opens  a  passage  to  the  pro- 
mised land  of  everlasting  rest. 

I  proceed  now,  in  the  last  place,  to  consider,  in  a 
few  words,  the  propriety  of  remembering  our  Crea- 
tor, or  begiuning  the  duties  of  religion  in  the  days 
of  our  youth. 

It  has  ever  been  remarked,  that  youth  is  the  most 
favorable  period  for  qualifying  ourselves,  to  sustain, 
with  ease  and  dignity,  the  offices  of  future  life :  what- 
ever be  the  occupations  which  we  are  to  follow,  and 
whatever  the  character  we  are  to  sustain,  we  must 
be  trained  to  them  while  the  mind  is  pliant.  The 
oak  is  not  easily  bent,  after  it  has  grown  stubborn 
with  age ;  but  in  whatever  direction  we  would  have 
the  tree  to  grow,  we  must  bend  it  in  the  twig.  Thus 
is  youth  a  favorable  season,  in  which  to  form  the 
mind  to  religion  :  it  then  is  young  and  tender,  easily 
susceptible  of  Divine  impressions :  it  has  not  yet 
been  infected  with  the  vices  of  the  world,  nor  ren- 


48  THE  REMEMBRANCE 

tiered  obstinate  and  inflexible  by  long  habits  of  sin. 
If  we  begin,  when  young,  to  regard  the  things  of 
religion,  and  practice  its  duties,  it  will  become  easy 
and  desirable,  and  by  custom  it  will  become,  as  it 
were,  a  second  nature.  With  good  reason  did  the 
•wise  man  advise  to  train  up  a  child  in  the  way  in 
wliich  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old,  he  will  not 
depart  from  it.  1  am  well  aware,  that  religion  is 
represented  by  a  wicked  world,  as  too  melancholy 
a  thing  to  be  engaged  in,  in  our  youth,  and  as  it  is 
necessary,  they  allow  it  a  place  at  some  more  con- 
venient season,  which  convenient  season,  perhaps 
never,  never  comes.  Religion  is  deferred  to  be  the 
companion  of  old  decre.pid  age,  or  the  last  refuge  of 
a  dying  bed :  but  these  are  both  unfavorable  seasons; 
old  age  is  too  lifeless  for  vigorous  exertion,  and  a 
death-bed  repentance  is  a  fatal  delusion,  by  which 
thousands  have  perished.  When  nature  is  exhausted 
by  disease,  or  our  bodies  racked  with  excruciating 
pains  and  our  weeping  friends  surround  our  beds,  ex- 
pecting in  a  few  days  to  follow  our  breathless  corpses 
to  their  long  home;  Avhen  the  powers  of  our  minds  as 
•well  as  bodies,  are  almost  worn  out;  is  this  a  time, 
think  you,  to  work  the  great  work  of  our  salvation, 
and  make  our  final  peace  with  God,  only  because 
•we  can  no  longer  indulge  ourselves  in  sin  ? 

Besides,  what  is  called  a  death-bed  repentance, 
is  generally  delusive  and  insincere.  In  the  hour  of 
our  dissolution,  when  the  soul  looks  through  the 
veil  to  the  world  of  spirits  :  when  the  consc  iousness 
of  guilt,  in  neglecting  God,  preys  upon  our  minds, 
and  the  awful  terrors  of  the  Almighty  are  unfolding 
to  our  view,  then,  indeed,  we  liiel  compunction  of 


OP  GOD.  49 

heart  and  a  dreadful  kind  of  repentance,  but  not  a 
repentance  which  is  unto  life.  It  proceeds  not  from 
real  sorrow  on  account  of  sin,  but  on  account  of  the 
punishment  of  it ;  not  from  unfeigned  love  to  God, 
but  from  the  fear  of  his  wratli  and  indignation.  Alas, 
we  have  too  many  instances  of  this  kind  of  repen- 
tance, in  those  who  apparently  were  drawing  near 
to  the  gates  of  death.  What  earnest  supplications 
did  they  make  to  God,  that  he  would  not  cut  them 
off?  What  solemn  promises  did  they  make,  that 
they  would  amend  their  lives,  and  devote  the  remain- 
der of  their  days  to  him,  if  he  would  be  pleased  to 
spare  their  lives  and  raise  them  from  the  bed  of  lan- 
guishing? And,  when  in  his  mercy  he  heard  their 
prayers  and  restored  them  again  to  strength,  how 
soon  have  they  forgotten  their  promises,  and  return- 
ed to  their  former  wicked  courses,  as  the  dog  to  his 
vomit,  or  the  sow  that  was  washed,  to  her  wallow- 
ing in  the  mire  ?  Let  me  advise  you,  trust  not  to  a 
death- bed  repentance. 

And  what  can  be  your  prospects  in  putting  off  tlie 
care  of  religion  to  old  age,  which  is  too  cold  and 
lifeless  to  enter  warmly  into  the  pursuit  of  it  ?  Do 
you  suppose  that  old  age  of  itself,  will  inspire  reli- 
gion, or  that  your  propensity  to  evil  will  be  more 
easily  broken,  when  you  have,  as  it  were,  become 
veterans  in  sin,  and  are  confirmed  in  it  by  long  habitu- 
al custom  ?  After  you  have  spent  your  whole  life  in 
sin,  and  have  arrived  at  that  period  when  exhausted 
nature  will  no  longer  afford  fuel  to  your  desires  • 
will  you  then  devote  the  miserable  refuse  of  your 
days  to  God?  And,  have  you  then  reason  to  be- 
lieve, that  he  will  accept  the  offering  at  your  hands, 

7 


50  THE  REMEMBRANCE  OF  GOD. 

when  you  thought  your  youthful  days  too  good  to 
be  spent  in  his  service?     He  has  given  us  reason  to 
believe  the  contrary.      "Because  1  have  called/' 
says  he,  "  and  ye  refused  ;  I  have  stretched  out  my 
hand  and  no  man  regarded;  but  ye  have  set  at  naught 
all  my  counsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof: 
I,  also,  will  laugh  at  your  calamity,  I  will  mock 
when  your  fear  cometh :   when  your  fear  cometh 
as   desolation,  and  your  destruction  cometh  as  a 
whirlwind ;  when  distress  and  auguish  cometh  up- 
on you,  then  shall  you  call  upon  me,  but  1  will  not 
answer  you ;  they  shall  seek  me  early,  but  they  shall 
not  find  me;"  Prov.  1,  24.     But,  lastly,  supposing 
that  old  age  was  the  most  favourable  season  for  the 
business  of  religion,  let  me  ask  you  what  security 
have  you,  that  you  will  ever  arrive  at  it?    Consult 
your  own  observation,  and  you  will  find  the  chance 
is  much  against  you  :  it  is  comparatively  but  a  few 
who  arrive  to  three  score  years  and  ten.     What, 
though  your  hill  seems  at  present  to  stand  strong, 
and  length  of  days  is  promised  by  your  ruddy  coun- 
tenance ?     Think  not  that  nothing  but  old  age  can 
cut  you  off.     You  are  every  day  exposed  to  a  thou- 
sand  snares,  and  in  the  midst  of  life  you   are  in 
death.     If  he,  who  has  the  issues  of  life,  only  with- 
holds his  supporting  hand,  or  sends  forth  his  com- 
missio!!  to  the  king  of  terrors,  the  stoutest  of  you, 
my  young  friends,  w  ill  fall  as  easily  a  prey  to  death,, 
as  the  old  boary  head,  which  blossoms  for  the  grave, 
and  already  bows  to  salute  his  kindred  dust. 


ON    INFIDELITY.  51 

ON  INFIDELITY. 

^^  Take  heed,  brethren,  lest  there  be  in  any  of  you, 
an  evil  heart  of  unbelief  in  departing  from  the 
living  God.^^ 

Hebrews,  cliap.  3,  I2tb  verse. 

The  connexion  which  subsists  between  principle 
and  conduct,  gives  rise  to  the  requisition  of  faith,  so 
frequently  made  in  the  Gospel,  and  sufficiently  shews 
its  necessity.  It  is  not,  I  presume,  that  there  is  any 
peculiar  merit  in  the  thing  itself,  but  that  it  is  the 
principle  which  prompts  obedience  to  the  Divine 
Will.  If  Abraham  obeyed  God,  it  was  because  he 
believed  the  record  which  God  had  given.  It  may 
also  be  said  of  faith,  that  it  not  only  leads  to  the  per- 
formance of  what  is  required  of  us,  but  that,  in  a 
moral  sense,  it  ascertains  the  character  of  every  ac- 
tion thus  performed.  And  hence  it  is  said,  that 
without  faith,  it  is  impossible  to  please  God.  Ac- 
tions in  themselves,  are,  strictly  speaking,  I  believe, 
neither  good  nor  bad  ;  and  it  is  not  peculiar  to  theo- 
logy, but  common  to  that  with  every  approved  sys- 
tem of  human  etiiics,  that  their  value  should  be  es- 
timated by  the  motives  which  gave  them  birth. 

If  such  be  tlie  nature  and  necessity  of  faith,  we 
need  not  be  surprised  at  the  caution  which  is  given 
us  by  the  Apostle  in  the  text. 

If  faith  be  necessary,  unbelief  must  be  fatal.  If 
without  faith  it  be  impossible  to  please  God,  the  in- 


52  ON    INFIDELITY. 

fijlcl  must  perish.  Unbelief  is  assigned  in  the  pas- 
sage before  us,  as  the  reason  why,  any  wlio  came 
out  of  Egypt  by  Moses,  did  never  enter,  however, 
on  the  promised  land  of  rest.  On  the  contrary,  we 
are  told,  that  the  carcases  of  some  of  them  fell  in 
the  wilderness.  The  account  which  is  given  of 
them  by  the  Apostle,  together  with  his  comment 
upon  it,  is  in  the  following  words:  "Wherefore  I 
was  grieved  w  ith  that  generation,  and  said,  They  do 
always  err  in  their  heart ;  and  they  have  not  known 
my  ways.  So  1  sware  in  my  wrath,  they  shall  not 
enter  into  my  rest." 

"  But,  with  whom,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  was  he 
grieved  forty  years  ?  Was  it  not  with  them  that 
had  sinned ;  whose  carcases  fell  in  the  wilderness  ? 
And  to  whom  sware  he,  that  they  should  not  enter 
into  his  rest,  but  to  them  that  believed  not  ?  So 
we  see,"  says  he,  »^  that  they  could  not  enter  in, 
because  of  unbelief." 

Thus,  on  the  one  hand,  we  behold  faith  and  obe- 
dience associated  together,  and  their  reward  is  eter- 
nal Life ;  on  the  other,  infidelity  and  sin,  and  their 
consequence  is  Death. 

The  contrast  thus  drawn,  between  these  two  de- 
scriptions, has  prepared  the  way,  for  the  execution 
of  my  purpose,  in  the  present  discourse;  which  is, 
in  general,  to  enforce  the  admonition  given  us  by 
the  Apostle. 

This  is  an  age  of  general  and  anxious  inquiry  in 
the  Christian  world.  The  Scriptures  of  the  old 
and  new  Testament,  purport  to  be  of  sacred  autho- 
rity, and  to  contain  a  revelation  of  the  will  of  God 
to  man.      The  judgment  we  pass  upon  this  book, 


ON  INFIDELITY.  53 

will,  no  doubt,  involve  the  most  important  conse- 
quences. Our  final  happiness  may  depend  upon 
our  embracing  it :  and  to  reject  it,  may  involve  us 
in  everlasting  ruin.  It  is  not  my  object  now  to  ex- 
amine the  evidences  which  accompany  it,  for  this 
has  often  been  done  already,  by  eminently  wise  and 
virtuous  men  ;  but  only  to  submit  some  considera- 
tions which  should  administer  caution  in  the  inves- 
tigation of  tlie  subject,  and  also  point  out  the  dan- 
gerous conseqences  of  a  wrong  decision. 

1.  One  consideration  which  entitles  it,  on  the  first 
appearance,  to  the  highest  respect,  and  the  most  can- 
did examination,  is  the  high  authority  on  which  it 
claims  our  attention.  It  addresses  itself  to  us,  not 
as  tlie  word  of  man,  but  as  the  word  of  God.  Every 
precept  which  it  injoins,  and  every  threat  that  it  de- 
nounces, is  delivered  to  us  under  no  less  a  sanction 
than  this :  ^*  The  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken 
it."  To  reject  it,  then,  upon  slight  and  insufficient 
reasons  ;  to  contemn  its  authority  and  disobey  its  in- 
junctions, is  to  run  the  dreadful  hazard  of  being 
**  found  fighting  against  God."  It  is  no  less  than 
to  say,  "  Who  is  the  Lord,  that  he  should  reign 
over  us?"  I  by  no  means  intend  to  insinuate,  that 
the  pretensions  m  hich  the  Scriptures  make  to  a  Di- 
vine original,  are,  of  themselves,  a  satisfactory  evi- 
dence that  they  are  genuine.  I  only  insist,  at  pre- 
sent, that  this  circumstance  renders  them  respectable 
and  important  to  us,  and  calls  for  the  utmost  can- 
dor and  impartiality  in  determining  upon  the  recep- 
tion which  we  shall  give  them.  If  we  should  reject 
them,  without  examination,  or  examining  them  with 
prejudice,  should  reject  them  without  evidence  of 


54  ON  INFIDELITY. 

their  falsehood,  would  not  the  error  of  our  conduct, 
and  our  punishment  too,  be  aggravated  by  this  con- 
sideration, that  God  had  called,  .and  we  had  refused ; 
that  the  Lord  had  spoken,  and  we  would  not  hear! 
We  treat  not  thus  the  edicts  of  earthly  rulers :  what- 
ever comes  to  us  under  the  sanction  of  their  autho- 
rity, we  receive  with  respect ;  nor  do  we  disown  its 
obligation  upon  us,  until  we  are  convinced  by  indu- 
bitable testimony,  that  it  is  the  fabrication  of  some 
impostor.  In  such  case,  if  any  man  were  to  tell  us 
that  it  was  only  a  cunning  fable,  contrived  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  imposing  on  our  credulity,  or  per- 
haps, for  something  worse,  and  should  advise  us  to 
disbelieve  it,  or  to  resist  its  authority,  we  should 
think  it  prudent,  1  imagine,  to  considei',  seriously 
and  impartially,  the  proofs  which  he  offered ;  we 
would  weigh  every  circumstance;  we  would  see 
what  the  edict  contained ;  we  would  examine  into 
the  character  of  the  man  ;  we  would  enquire,  whe- 
ther he  himself  miglit  not  be  an  impostor ;  whether 
he  might  not  have  some  sinister  object  himself  in 
view ;  and  we  should  think  it  neither  wise  nor  safe 
to  follow  his  advice,  unless  we  were  thoroughly  con- 
vinced by  his  arguments.  Shall  we  treat  with  less 
respect,  then,  the  higli  authority  of  God  ?  Shall  we 
hastily  reject  what  comes  to  us  in  his  name  ?  A 
thorough,  and  even  a  scrupulous  investigation,  is  not 
to  be  condemned.  This  is  the  province  of  our  rea- 
son, and  to  this  we  are  invited. 

Let  us  examine  the  Scriptures,  then ;  for  every 
principle  of  duty  and  interest  requires  this  of  us; 
and  let  us  not  reject  them,  without  first  deliberating 
before  we  conclude ;  let  us  convict  before  we  con- 


ON   INFIDELITY.  55 

ileum.  Let  us  be  able  to  demonstrate,  by  the  most 
incontestable  documents,  that  the  Scriptures  are 
spurious,  and  the  belief  of  them  a  delusion ;  and 
when  we  have  done  this,  let  us  reject  them.  Let  us 
not  be  so  inconsistent,  as  to  disdain  the  prescriptions 
of  the  most  high  God,  and  at  the  same  time  suffer 
ourselves  to  be  led  blindfold,  by  those  of  wicked 
and  designing  men.  The  venerable  authority  on 
which  they  claim  to  be  delivered,  demands  from  us 
the  most  reverential  attention,  and  strongly  enforces 
the  caution  in  the  text,  ^*  To  take  heed,  lest  there 
be  in  any  of  you,  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief." 

2.  The  contents  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  are  of 
such  a  nature,  as  to  be  highly  interesting  to  us,  and, 
therefore,  it  is  of  much  moment  that  we  judge  right- 
ly concerning  them.  They  give  an  account  of  the  ori- 
ginal rectitude,  and  the  subsequent  lapse  and  aposta- 
cy  of  man.  They  inform  us  that  all  are  now  in- 
cluded in  unbelief;  that  all  flesh  have  corrupted 
their  ways,  and  are,  of  consequence,  exposed  to  the 
wrath  and  displeasure  of  God.  They  inform  us, 
that  He  so  loved  the  world  as  to  send  his  Son  to 
seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost.  They  proclaim 
to  us  through  Him,  the  offers  of  peace  and  pardon ; 
and  they  declare,  that  there  is  no  other  name  given 
under  Heaven,  amongst  men,  whereby  we  can  be 
saved,  but  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that  whoso- 
ever believeth  in  Him,  shall  ha\e  everlasting  life, 
and  that  he  who  believeth  not,  shall  not  see  life,  but 
the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him.  If  any  thing  can 
command  attention,  or  inspire  caution,  surely  it  is 
that  which  is  contained  in  the  Scriptures.  If  the 
statement  which  they  give  of  the  situation  of  man  be 


56  ON    INFIDELITY. 

true,  then  it  is  truly  said  of  the  Scriptures,  that  they 
contaiu  the  words  of  everlasting  life.  VVIieu  we 
consider  tliis,  tlie  frivolous  conceit  of  a  late  plagiary 
infidel,  in  comparing  these  with  the  writings  of  Ho- 
mer, must  dwindle  into  insignificance,  or  sink  into 
contempt.  What,  if  the  Grecian  poet  wrote,  or  did 
not  write  the  history  of  the  Trojan  war?  And 
what,  if  the  facts  which  he  records  be  either  true  or 
false?  What,  if  we  believe  them,  though  they  be 
but  fictions  ?  Or  what  though  we  disbelieve  them, 
if  they  are  even  true  ?  It  is  a  matter  of  the  most 
perfect  indifterence.  W^e  gain  nothing  on  the  one 
hand ;  we  forfeit  nothing  on  the  other.  But,  ran 
the  same  be  said  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  ?  Are 
they  only  to  be  considered  as  works  of  genius  ?  If 
they  were,  it  would,  indeed,  be  of  no  great  importance 
"whether  we  gave  credit  to  their  authenticity  or  not. 
We  might  content  ourselves  with  admiring  the  in- 
imitably sublime  description  which  they  give  of  the 
lion,  the  leviathan,  and  the  war-like  horse.  But, 
it  is  not  their  object  to  please  the  fancy,  but  to  save 
the  soul.  W^e  find  in  them  these  very  serious 
words,  or  words  to  this  effect :  ^*  Whoso  belie veth 
shall  be  saved,  and  he  who  believeth  not  shall  be 
damned." 

Suppose,  then,  for  a  moment,  the  Scriptures  to  be 
true,  and  we  refuse  them  credit :  suppose  that  a  Sa- 
viour is  provided  for  us  and  we  reject  him  :  suppose 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  tlie  Son  of  God;  that  he  will 
one  day  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  and  we 
call  him  an  impostor :  the  consequence  is  serious 
indeed.  There  is  no  hope  of  salvation  for  us  :  we 
must  perish.     We  may  so  conduct  ourselves  here, 


ON    INFIDELITY.  57 

as  to  be  miserable  hereafter,  if  the  Scriptures  be 
false ;  but,  if  they  be  true,  and  we  reject  them,  we 
must  be  undone. 

You  will  be  pleased  to  bear  in  mind,  that  I  am 
not  asserting  the  authenticity  of  the  Scriptures,  nor 
attempting  to  prove  it.     1  leave  this  to  the  decision 
of  those,  who  have  not  yet  decided.     But,  I  think 
that  the  considerations  which  they  suggest,  are  of 
sufficient  importance  to  invite  an  inquiry,  and  to  for- 
bid a  hasty  judgment.     It  is  possible,  that  some  to 
whom  I  am  addressing  this  discourse,  may  already 
have  taken  up  an  unfavorable  opinion.     It  is  possi- 
ble, too,  that  they  may  have  taken  it  up  rashly ; 
thiit  they  may  have  never  read  the  Bible,  nor  the 
evidences  of  truth,  with  which  it  is  attended  ?  that 
they  may  have  examined  but  one  side  of  the  ques- 
tion ;  nor,  even   that   thorouglily,  but  taken  it  on 
credit.     It  is  possihle,  that  most  of  our  modern  infi- 
dels are  of  this  description ;  and  if  so,  their  conduct  is 
irrational  in  the  extreme.      They  proudly  refuse 
their  assent  to  truths,  that  are  proved  to  the  satis- 
faction of  every  impartial  inquirer,  and  yet  impli- 
citly believe  in  unbelief  itself.     They  fulfil  one  part 
of  the  Scripture,  which  they  affect  so  much  to  de- 
spise,  in   straining   at   a   gnat  and  swallowing   a 
camel.     Yet,  in  this  we  might  be  indulged,' if  it 
were  not  as  unsafe  as  it  is  irrational.     It  is  certainly 
most  dangerous,  if  the  Scriptures  be  true;  and  with- 
out inquiry,  we  cannot  tell  whether  they  are  so  or 
not.     And,  as  they  involve  considerations  so  ex- 
tremely serious,  it  is  both  our  duty  and  our  interest 
to  give  them  a  fair  and  thorough  examination,  and 

8 


58  ON    IXFTDELITY. 

to  take  heed  lest  there  be  in  any  of  us,  an  evil  heart 
of  unbelief. 

3.  There  is  reason  also,  for  the  utmost  caution 
and  circumspection,  lest   in  determining  upon  this 
subject,  we  substitute  prejudice  in  the  room  of  con- 
viction.    It  is  worthy  of  attention,  that  the  Ajjostle 
speaks  in  the  text  of  "  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief,'' 
which  seems  to  imply  that  it  is  more  the  depravity 
of  our  aflPections,  than  any  defect  in  our  understand- 
ing, that  leads  to   error.     In  most  instances,  per- 
haps, we  are  too  prone  to  consult  our   inclinations 
in  preference  to  our  judgment.     We  easily  yield 
our  assent  to  w  hat  we  would  wish  to  be  true  :  but 
it  is  with  the  utmost  reluctance,  that  we  will  be  per- 
suaded to  admit  unwelcome  truths.     It  is  no  won- 
der, then,  tliat  we  should  be  averse  to  the  Gospel 
which  so  universally  thwarts  and  opposes  us.     No- 
thing can  be  more  repugnant  to  the  propensities  of 
depraved  nature,  tiian  the  purity  of  its  precepts,  or 
the  rigor  of  its  restraints.     They  require  of  us  mor- 
tification and  self-abasement.     They  stand  directly 
opposed  to  every  inordinate  desire,  and  to  all  licen- 
tiousness of  manners  ;  to  the  designs  of  injustice,  and 
the  projects  of  ambition  ;  to  every  purpose  of  re- 
venge, and  to  all  the  unruly  passions,  in  short,  w  hich 
agitate  the  human  mind.     All  these  claim  an  in- 
dulgence which  the  Gospel  denies,  and,  therefore, 
it  is  reasonably  to  be  expected,  that  they  should  set 
themselves  in  array  against  it.     This  is  tlie  very 
reason  why  it  is  embraced  with  so  little  cordiality 
by  many  who  yet  believe  it  to  be  true ;  who  acknow- 
ledge its  authority,  but  do  not  relish  its  precepts. 


ON    INFIDELITY.  59 

Is  there  not  some  cause  of  suspicion,  then,  that  what 
we  call  disbelief,  may  resolve  itself,  at  last,  into 
nothing  more  than  an  ill-judged  opposition  to  its 
truth?  Hence  it  may  be,  that  we  so  readily  sub- 
scribe to  the  blasphemies  of  infidels.  We  are  plea- 
sed to  hear  them  revile  what  we  ourselves  dislike, 
and  receive  them  as  our  prophets,  because  they  ap- 
pear to  be  our  friends.  In  more  familiar  instan- 
ces, we  see  that  men,  when  filled  with  prejudice, 
will  extol  a  character  whom  they  believe  to  be  base, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  traducing  whom  they 
know  to  be  innocent.  If  such  malignity,  then,  be 
found  in  the  human  mind,  ought  we  not,  with  cau- 
tion, to  listen  to  the  objections  which  it  may  rea- 
sonably be  supposed  to  suggest  against  the  Christian 
religion  ?  It  must  not  escape  observation,  upon  this 
subject,  that  it  represents  the  heart  of  man  as  natu- 
rally prone  to  evil.  A  persuasion  of  the  truth  of 
this  assertion,  may  be  derived  from  other  sources, 
than  Divine  revelation.  We  carry  tlie  evidences 
of  it  in  our  own  bosoms  :  and  he  who  would  call 
it  in  question,  must  contradict  the  testimony  of  uni- 
versal experience.  It  is  a  difficult  matter,  then,  for 
men  to  indulge  themselves  in  the  practice  of  iniquity, 
as  long  as  they  believe  the  truth  of  Christianity.  A\'e 
could  w  ish,  therefore,  the  Scriptures  were  not  true, 
very  falsely  calculating,  that  in  that  case,  we  should 
be  released  from  every  unwelcome  restraint.  Ought 
we  not,  in  reason,  then,  to  be  distrustful  of  ourselves? 
Is  there  no  cause  to  suspect,  that  on  this  account 
alone,  we  are  so  disposed  to  embrace  the  forlorn 
hopes  of  infidelity,  and  that,  in  order  to  spare  our 
lusts,  we  endeavour  to  discard  our  faith  ? 


60  ON  INFIDELITY. 

4.  It  seems  to  be  an  inquiry  worth  making  also, 
whether  our  interest  does  not  lie,  if  it  could  be  done, 
in  exploding  the  Gospel.  I  mean,  whether  our  con- 
duct hitherto  has  not  been  stamped  with  such  moral 
turpitude,  as  to  leave  us  neither  part  nor  lot,  in  the 
promises  which  it  contains,  but  expose  us  only  to 
the  threatenings  it  denounces.  This  is  a  possible 
case ;  and  if  it  be  ours,  we  are  not  to  be  considered 
as  very  impartial  judges.  A  good  and  upright  man 
would  wish,  at  least,  the  Scriptures  might,  in  the 
end,  prove  true ;  but  the  interest  of  the  wicked  and 
licentious  lies  another  way,  and  therefore,  their  in- 
clinations accompany  it.  They  fain  would  hope 
the  Scriptures  are  a  fiction  ;  and  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciple, and  on  equal  evidence,  "  the  fool  hath  said,  in 
his  heart,  there  is  no  God."  We  cannot  but  sus- 
pect, I  think,  if  we  will  judge  with  candor,  that  there 
must  be  something  or  other  wrong  in  that  system, 
which  would  place  the  utmost  hopes  to  which  a  man 
could  aspire,  in  total  annihilation.  It  is  true,  in- 
deed, that  a  late  infidel  has  expressed  a  hope  of 
happiness  in  a  future  world ;  but  his  imitative  dis- 
ciples do  not  seem  so  sanguine  in  their  expectations, 
either  as  to  themselves  or  him ;  and,  tlierefore,  they 
have  added  to  their  creed,  that  there  is  no  hereafter. 
In  tliia,  they  are  the  more  consistent  of  the  two  ;  but, 
surely,  when  we  have  brought  ourselves  to  this  pass, 
it  is  time  to  make  a  pause,  and  consider,  seriously, 
whether  we  are  not  building  on  a  sandy  foundation, 
and  whether  we  may  not  possibly  find,  to  our  loss, 
that  we  shall  be  immortal. 

But,  tliat  I  may  not  seem,  which,  indeed,  is  not 
my  intention,  to  draw  any  advantage  from  the  very 


ON  INFIDELITY,  61 

vulnerable  character  to  which  I  have  just  now  allu- 
ded, it  is  but  fair  to  acknowledge,  that  there  are, 
also,  men  of  good  moral  character  who  think  unfa- 
vorably of  the  authenticity  of  the  Scriptures.  Yet, 
this  is  a  matter  of  no  moment  to  those  whose  duty 
it  is  to  examine  for  themselves.  If  the  Scriptures 
be  false,  we  can  only  reject  them  with  safety ;  that 
is,  without  guilt,  when  we  know  them  to  be  so  :  and 
if  they  be  true,  the  authority  of  their  opinions  will 
afford  us  no  protection.  But,  it  may  be  asked, 
What  could  induce  men  of  good  character  to  reject 
the  Scriptures,  but  a  conviction,  upon  sufficient  evi- 
dence, that  they  are  spurious  ?  To  this  1  answer, 
that  the  question  proceeds  from  a  misconception  of 
the  doctrines  which  are  contained  in  the  Gospel. 
The  pride  of  those  who  call  themselves  Philoso- 
phers, by  no  means  tallies  with  that  humility  which 
is  so  characteristic  of  the  Christian  temper.  He 
who  would  be  wise  to  salvation,  must  be  clothed 
with  humility,  and  be  contented  to  sit,  like  Mary, 
at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  hear  his  words.  You  may 
judge,  then,  that  this  would  be  received  as  a  hard 
saying  by  those  who  are  ever  wise  in  their  own  con- 
ceit, and  that  of  course,  they  would  be  as  much  dis- 
posed as  any  description  of  men  whatever,  to  dis- 
credit, or  at  least  to  reject,  a  system  of  discipline 
which  would  so  effectually  mortify  their  pride  and 
rob  them  of  all  their  glory.  This  is  the  reason  why 
true  knowledge  is  represented,  in  Scripture,  as  hid- 
den from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  unto 
babes.  Another  consideration  is,  tliat  if  the  Scrip- 
tures be  true,  these  men  who  thus  reject  them,  are  to 
be  considered  only  as  persons  devoted  to  destruction. 


62  ON  INFIDELITY. 

There  is  an  ignominy  in  punisliment,  which  always 
changes  pity  into  contempt  for  the  sufferers.  What 
consideration,  more  powerfully  than  this,  could  ex- 
cite enmity  against  the  gospel,  which  denounces  such 
punishment  on  men,  who  are  too  proud  to  bear  the 
yoke  of  a  crucified  Saviour,  and  too  wise  to  be  in- 
structed in  tlie  things  which  belong  to  their  peace. 
These  considerations  are  suggested,  only  to  caution 
against  the  influence  of  particular  names,  which 
have  probably  made  more  infidels  than  all  the  so- 
phistical arguments  which  made  infidels  of  them- 
selves. 

5.  I  observe,  once  more,  that  in  determining  upon 
the  credit  which  we  shall  give  to  the  Scriptures,  we 
should  see  to  it,  that  we  do  not  rt^ect  them  for  ob- 
jections which  lie  equally  against  other  writings, 
which  we  yet  receive  as  genuine ;  and  that  we  do 
not  discard  them  against  evidence,  equal,  or  in  gene- 
ral, superior  to  that  on  which  we  admit  the  genuine- 
ness and  truth  of  other  authorities  and  institutions. 
To  admit  one  thing  as  true,  and  reject  another  as 
false,  when  the  circumstances  attending  them  are 
precisely  similar,  is  an  arbitrary  mode  of  deciding, 
to  AA  hich  no  mati  is  entitled,  and  at  the  same  time, 
such  an  evidence  of  prejudice  as  cannot  fail  to  im- 
peach the  soundness  of  his  judgment,  or  the  integ- 
rity of  his  views.  If  we  reject  the  Scriptures  as 
spurious,  from  the  silly  conceit,  for  instance,  that 
Moses  could  not  have  been  the  author  of  the  books 
which  are  ascribed  to  him,  because  Moses  spoke  of 
himself  in  the  third  person,  we  should  consider 
whether  we  do  not  admit  the  genuineness  of  other 
books;  under  circumstances  precisely  similar.    Ex- 


ON    INFIDELITY.  63 

amples  of  this  kind  are  numerous,  but  one  of  com- 
mon notoriety  will  suffice.  The  genuineness  of  Cai- 
sar's  commentaries  has  never  been  called  in  ques- 
tion. They  pass  under  the  name  of  Caesar,  and  lie 
is  universally  admitted,  I  believe,  to  have  been  the 
author  of  them  ;  and  yet,  he  every  where  speaks  of 
himself  in  the  third  person.  It  is  always  "  Caesar 
carried  the  war  into  Gaul ;  Caesar  said,  that  he 
would  march  with  the  tenth  legion.'^  Now,  to  pro- 
claim with  an  air  of  triumph,  that  Moses  is  an  im- 
postor, because,  in  the  writings  ascribed  to  him,  he 
is  spoken  of  in  the  third  person,  whilst  we  admit  the 
genuineness  of  other  writings  similarly  circumstanced, 
is  to  proclaim  our  own  folly.  We  need  not  wait  to 
be  reproached  with  insincerity ;  we  have  every  rea- 
son to  suspect  it  of  ourselves.  Indeed,  a  man  of 
common  liberality  would  be  ashamed  of  such  a  piece 
of  criticism  on  any  human  composition.  And,  in  an 
age  of  reason,  properly  so  called,  one  would  hardly 
expect  to  find  it  admitted  against  the  word  of  God; 
but,  with  some  sort  of  men,*  it  would  seem  that 
impiety  and  blasphemy  can  supply,  with  full  effect, 
the  place  of  argument. 

*  Of  Thomas  Paine's  stamp. 


64  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

'^  But  exhort  one  another  daily^  while  it  is  called  to- 
day, lest  any  of  you  he  hardened  through  the  de- 
ceitfulness  of  Sin.'^ 

Hebrews,  3d  chap.  13th  verse. 

It  is  a  very  great  misfortune  attending  sin,  that 
whilst  it  is  both  odious  in  its  nature,  and  ruinous  in 
its  effects,  it  is  often  plausible  in  its  pretensions,  and 
delusive  in  its  appearances.  It  flatters  at  the  time 
that  it  betrays ;  it  presents  an  alluring  bait,  the  more 
effectually  to  conceal  the  fatal  hook ;  it  hardens,  as  it 
corrupts  the  heart.  On  this  account,  the  Apostle's 
admonition  to  the  Hebrews  was  given  to  exhort  one 
another  daily.  For,  the  practice  of  iniquity  is  so 
contrary  to  every  just  sentiment  of  what  is  right, 
and  so  destructive  of  man's  best  interests,  his  hap- 
piness in  the  world  to  come,  and  as  I  hope  to  shew, 
bis  peace  and  comfort  in  that  which  now  is,  that 
its  danger  would  be  inconsiderable,  as  long  as  the 
conscience  was  tender  and  susceptible  of  religious 
impressions,  open  to  the  conviction  of  what  is  true, 
and  faithful  to  the  approbation  of  what  is  good. 
The  mutual  exhortations  of  Cliristians,  are  of  infi- 
nite service  in  this  respect,  inasmuch  as  by  them, 
just  sentiments  of  religion  are  kept  alive ;  motives 
to  perseverance  in  duty,  are  constantly  renewed  ; 
temptations  to  sin  are  avoided,  and  its  delusions  most 
effectually  detected,  because  they  have  been  prac- 
tised upon  all,  and  by  many  completely  baffled. 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  65 

By  these  means,  religion  is  cherished  and  promot- 
ed ;  sin  maintains  its  dominion  only  over  the  callous 
mind.  The  tendency  of  mutual  exhortations  to  pro- 
mote the  purposes  intended  by  them,  will  be  taken 
first  under  consideration,  in  the  progress  of  this  dis- 
course. And,  secondly,  the  danger  that  must  be 
incurred  by  the  neglect  of  them,  of  being  hardened 
through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin. 

1.  With  respect  to  the  first  of  these  propositions, 
it  may  be  remarked  with  much  truth,  I  believe,  that 
mankind,  taking  them  in  general,  have  some  sense 
of  religious  obligation.  That  we  are  naturally  prone 
to  evil,  is  indeed  a  very  explicit  doctrine  of  the 
Scriptures  ;  but,  this  doctrine  is  not  inconsistent 
with  the  truth  of  this  remark,  in  the  sense  in  which 
it  is  made  ;  for,  wiien  men  indulge  tliemselves  in  the 
practice  of  sin,  this  will  be  found,  I  think,  to  pro- 
ceed, not  from  the  conviction  of  tiie  judgment  in  its 
favour,  but  from  the  want  of  consideration  ;  from  the 
impetuosity  of  passion  ;  from  the  arts  of  seduction, 
or  from  the  contagion  of  evil  examples ;  or,  perhaps, 
more  or  less,  from  all.  When  we  are  exhorted  to 
remember  our  Creator  in  the  days  of  our  youth,  it  is 
not  merely  because  it  is  at  all  times  our  duty  to  do 
it,  but  because  youth  is  the  most  favourable  season 
for  imbibing  the  principles,  or  beginning  the  prac- 
tice of  religion.  The  mind  is  then  more  pliant  and 
tender ;  it  is  more  susceptible  of  almost  any  impres- 
sion ;  it  may  be  more  easily  trained  up  to  virtue,  or 
seduced  and  allured  into  the  dangerous  paths  of 
vice.  From  hence,  then,  we  may  see  the  high  im- 
portance, and  presage  the  happy  eflfects  of  the  sea- 
sonable and  repeated  advice  and  exhortation  of  reli- 

9 


66  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

gious  friends.  They  encourage  to  the  filial  fear  and 
to  the  reasonable  service  of  God  ;  tliey  represent  the 
evil  and  the  danger  of  sin  ;  they  guard  from  that  evil 
communication  which  corrupts  good  manners. — 
Whatsoever  things  are  honest;  whatsoever  things 
are  true ;  whatsoever  things  are  lovely ;  whatsoever 
things  are  of  good  report ;  if  there  be  any  virtue  ;  if 
there  be  any  praise,  to  these  they  invite  them,  and  they 
would  often  succeed,  if  religious  exhortations  were  as 
frequent  and  fashionable  as  solicitations  to  sin. 
From  the  unhappy  influence  of  wicked  companions, 
and  from  the  p(»wer  of  the  temptations  which  pro- 
ficients in  vice  are  ever  throwing  before  the  young 
and  unwary,  we  have  often  seen  that  the  religious 
education  of  early  years  has  been  entirely  marred, 
and  many  a  promising  youth  been  allured  to  his  ru- 
in. If,  then,  instead  of  these,  religious  friends 
should  interfere ;  if  they  should  cultivate  the  morals 
of  youth ;  if  exhortation  to  piety  were  frequently 
given,  we  might  reasonably  expect  the  most  happy 
effects.  Many  temptations  would  be  avoided,  which, 
for  want  of  assistance,  often  prove  too  strong  for  the 
young;  or,  if  not  entirely  avoided,  they  would,  at 
least,  be  counteracted,  and  every  good  resolution 
would  be  strengthened  and  encouraged.  It  is  some- 
times urged,  indeed,  that  religious  instruction  of 
every  kind,  is  improper,  and  that  the  mind  should 
be  left  entirely  free  to  choose  for  itself,  whether  re- 
ligion shall  be  embraced  or  not.  But,  these  coun- 
sellors observe  not  the  rule  which  themselves  pre- 
scribe. On  the  contrary,  there  are  many  appearan- 
ces of  a  most  unhappy  combination  amongst  wicked 
men,  to  engage  as  many  as  possible  in  the  same  de- 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  67 

structive  courses  which  themselves  pursue.  None 
shall  be  permitted  to  consult  the  dictates  of  their 
own  reason  and  judgment,  or  to  practice  the  duties 
of  a  religious  life,  if  any  exertion  of  theirs  can  pre- 
vent it.  They  constantly  spread  before  them  the 
delusive  charms  of  vice,  and  represent  any  attention 
to  religion,  and  every  sentiment  of  virtue,  as  the  pre- 
judice of  education,  or  as  a  mark  of  a  weak  and 
timid  mind.  That  they  unhappily  succeed  in  this, 
the  present  Age  of  Reason,*  as  it  is  called,  is  an 
ample  proof.  But,  in  this,  I  trust,  they  could  not 
succeed,  if  those  who  fear  God  were  as  active  and 
zealous  in  recommending  the  pure  and  holy  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  conducting  others  into  the  paths 
of  pleasantness  and  peace.  Religion  would  then 
gain  ground,  and  vice  and  infidelity,  so  generally 
companions,  would  hide  their  heads. 

2.  Again,  the  religious  exhortations  of  Christians 
would  not  only  have  a  tendency  to  dissuade  others 
from  entering  upon  evil  courses,  but,  also,  to  reclaim 
tliose  from  them  who  had  been  seduced  into  them. 
The  commands  of  God  carry  with  them  an  awful 
sanction ;  not  only  in  the  rewards  which  are  pro- 
mised to  the  obedient,  and  the  denunciation  of  his 
displeasure  against  those  who  do  wickedly,  but  also^ 
in  the  testimony  of  a  man's  own  heart,  and  those 
severe  compunctions  of  conscience  by  which  a  de- 
parture from  duty  is  either  accompanied,  or  very 
shortly  succeeded.  This,  in  all  probability,  is  al- 
ways the  case,  in  the  first  deviation  into  the  paths 


■  Preached  after  the  publication  of  Thomas  Paine's  Age 
of  Reason. 


68  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

of  sin.  At  such  a  juncture,  then,  when  the  influence 
of  a  better  education  is  not  entirely  lost,  ami  when 
the  heart  is  sorely  wounded  by  a  sense  of  guilt,  the 
affectionate  remonstrances  and  the  tender  persua- 
sions of  a  religious  friend^  would  be  seasonable,  in- 
deed, in  all  probability  welcome;  and  in  that  case, 
might  be  productive  of  the  happiest  consequences. 
The  tenderness  of  rebuke,  accompanied,  as  it  would 
be,  by  the  sincerest  expressions  of  regard  ;  the  evil 
of  sin  clearly  represented,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
goodness  of  God,  and  his  willingness  to  forgive, 
brought  into  view,  would  be  likely  to  have  the  most 
powerful  influence  on  the  ingenuous  mind.  Such 
considerations  proposed  to  the  tender  heart,  could 
scarcely  fail,  one  would  think,  so  far  as  means  are 
concerned,  to  draw  forth*  the  most  undissembled 
tears  of  contrition  ;  exciting  at  the  same  time,  the 
most  determined  resolution  to  return  to  God,  and  a 
lively  hope  of  acceptance  through  Jesus  Christ.  The 
short  experience  he  has  had  of  the  reproaches  of  a 
guilty  conscience,  aided  by  the  advice  and  encourage- 
ment of  Godly  men,  would  prove  to  him  a  very  use- 
ful lesson,  and  set  him  more  upon  his  guard  against 
seduction  to  sin,  than  he  had  been  before.  But,  if 
he  be  deserted  by  his  friends ;  if  he  be  left  alone  to 
endure  the  pangs  of  a  wounded  spirit,  which  no  man 
can  long  bear,  he  will  probably  be  disposed  to  seek 
relief  some  other  way.  He  will  be  exposed  to  the 
danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  greater  proficients 
in  vice  than  himself,  who  will  not  fail  to  play  the 
most  seducing  arts  to  encourage  him  to  dispel  his 
squeamish  fears  by  mirth  and  wine,  and  allure  him 
through  the  enchanted  circle  of  unlawful  pleasures, 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  69 

until  his  conscience  sliall  become  callous  and  effec- 
tually hardened,  througli  the  deceitfulness  of  sin. 
By  such  wicked  arts,  have  thousands  been  brought 
to  ruin.  If  religious  men  were  half  so  industrious, 
might  not  many  be  saved  ?  Let  them  hearken,  in 
the  mean  time,  to  the  affectionate  advice  of  Solomon  : 
*^  My  son,  if  sinners  entice  thee,  consent  thou  not." 
3.  The  mutual  exhortations  uf  religious  men  are 
of  great  advantage  to  themselves,  inasmuch  as  they 
respect  the  most  important  objects,  and  propose  to 
their  ambition  the  highest  honors  and  the  most  re- 
fined and  exalted  pleasures.  Religion,  like  every 
other  attainment,  requires  care  and  cultivation. — 
Converse  with  the  world,  and  an  attention  to  the 
necessary  demands  of  the  present  life,  together  with 
a  becoming  deference  to  tlie  opinions  and  sentiments 
of  others,  are  apt,  generally,  to  produce  a  conformi- 
ty to  their  principles  and  maxims.  If  these,  then, 
as  is  too  much  the  case  in  the  present  day,  happen 
to  savor  but  little  or  nothing  of  the  spirit  of  religion, 
it  will,  in  all  probability,  decay.  There  is  a  con- 
tagion in  example,  whether  it  be  good  or  bad,  with 
which  we  become  infected  before  we  are  aware :  it 
insensibly  creeps  upon  us :  by  degrees  we  insensi- 
bly imbibe  the  principles  and  become  assimilated  to 
the  manners  of  those  with  whom  we  converse.  It 
is,  therefore,  of  much  importance,  and  of  the  great- 
est use,  that  those  who  profess  the  religion  of  Christ, 
and  are  solicitous  to  work  out  their  salvation,  should 
be  guarded  at  this  point ;  that  they  should  maintain 
communion  together;  that  they  should  exhort  one 
another  to  walk  worthily  of  the  high  vocation  where- 
with they  are  called ;  that  motives  to  constancy  and 


70  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

perseverance  should  be  proposed,  and  mutual  assist- 
ance given.  These  considerations  will  apjiear  to  be 
of  the  greater  usefulness,  and  the  more  indispensa- 
ble necessity,  if  it  be  taken  into  the  account,  that  it 
is  not  from  the  world  only  that  religion  is  assailed. 
The  temptations  of  Satan,  and  the  corruptions  of  the 
human  heart,  occasion  many  conflicts  and  difficul- 
ties in  the  progress  of  the  Christian  life,  with  wliicli 
none  but  religious  men  are  fully  acquainted,  and  in 
which  they  alone  are  qualified  to  instruct.  Yet, 
there  is  hardly  any  situation,  in  which  some  one  or 
other,  in  the  small  circle  of  religious  men,  has  not, 
at  some  time  or  other,  found  himself  placed,  and 
from  which  he  has  not  been  delivered,  through  the 
assistance  of  Divine  grace.  Such  cases  very  fre- 
quently occur  :  and  one  can  hardly  estimate  the  ad- 
vantage that  is  to  be  derived  from  the  experience  of 
each,  and  from  the  encouragement  and  exhortations 
of  all.  Besides,  it  is  a  great  pleasure  and  satisfac- 
tion to  every  good  man,  to  perceive,  that  there  are 
others  who  are  walking  ia  the  same  road,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  same  pursuits  with  himself.  Mutual 
exhortations,  making  for  one  thing,  this  discovery, 
afford  a  consolation  to  the  mind,  when  religion  is 
flourishing,  and  still  more  so  wiicn  it  declines.  The 
followers  of  Christ,  like  those  of  Eneas,  on  the  sack- 
ing of  Troy,  (if  I  may  be  permitted  such  a  compa- 
rison,) rejoice  to  find,  here  and  there,  a  cluster  of 
their  friends,  however  small  their  number,  or  how- 
ever fallen  their  hopes.  They  find  themselves,  in 
some  sense  to  be  in  an  enemy's  country,  w  here  their 
interest  is  small ;  where  it  seems  to  be  borne  down 
by  a  torrent  of  vice ;  where  they  themselves  are  con- 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  71 

sidered  as  a  sort  of  spies,  and  are  obliged,  in  some 
measure,  to  observe  as  much  caution  and  reserve,  as 
if  they  really  were  so ;  but,  w^hen  they  meet  toge- 
ther, their  hopes  revive.  They  are  a  little  band  of 
friends,  which  stick  closer  than  a  brother ;  they  en- 
courage and  support  one  another;  they  bear  each 
other's  burdens,  dispel  their  doubts,  encourage  their 
hopes  and  dissipate  their  fears  ;  they  assist  the  weak 
and  cheer  the  disconsolate.  In  this  lamentable  age 
of  reason,  for  instance,  he  who  pursues  the  road  to 
Heaven,  must  consider  himself  almost  as  a  solitary 
pilgrim :  but  if  he,  perchance,  meet  with  others  by 
the  way,  and  they  are  permitted  to  commune  toge- 
ther, he  feels  as  if  surrounded  by  a  cloud  of  wit- 
nesses, and  is  encouraged  to  run,  with  patience,  the 
race  that  is  set  before  him. 

Such,  then,  is  the  propriety,  and  such  are  the  ad- 
vantages of  religious  exhortations. 

We  recur  now  to  the  particular  reason  on  which 
the  exhortation  in  the  text  seems  to  be  founded.  It 
is  this  :  "  Lest  any  of  you  be  hardened  through  the 
deceitfulness  of  sin.'' 

There  are  so  many  instances  of  this,  that  I  shall 
not  pretend  to  enumerate  them  all ;  but  content  my- 
self with  two  or  three.  It  has  been  observed  in  this 
discourse,  that  the  commission  of  sin,  in  the  first  in- 
stances especially,  is  ever  accompanied  or  followed 
by  the  remonstrances  of  conscience,  and  the  con- 
demnation of  our  own  hearts.  There  must  needs, 
then,  be  some  delusion  or  other  practised,  to  account 
for  the  habitual  practice  of  it  afterwards.  One  rea- 
son, I  suppose  to  be,  that  being  more  appalled  by 
the  fears  of  punishment,  than  shocked  or  disgusted 


72  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN» 

at  the  demerit  of  tlie  crime,  we  set  our  ingenuity  at 
work,  to  extenuate  it :  when  our  alarm  has  subsided, 
and  the  next  temptation  occurs,  the  offence  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  exai^gcrated  by  our  own  appre- 
hensions, when,  in  itself,  it  was  really  small  and 
trivial.  All  things  considered,  we  cannot  but  hope, 
that  it  was  very  pardonable,  and  it  is  possible  we 
may  consider  ourselves  as  entitled  to  some  little  cre- 
dit, that  we  were  guilty  of  nothing  worse. 

The  circumstances  of  the  case;  the  temptation 
which  was  thrown  in  our  way;  the  natural  impetu- 
oshy  of  the  passions,  and  the  suddenness  of  sur- 
prise, are  all  offered,  on  reflection,  in  palliation  of 
the  offence.  These  considerations  must  certainly 
entitle  us  to  some  indulgence.  By  these  reasonings, 
we  begin  to  conclude  that  we  are  not  so  guilty  as 
we  at  first  imagined.  It  is  well,  indeed,  if  we  do 
not  exculpate  ourselves  entirely,  and  lay  the  blame 
on  some  of  our  companions,  or  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  which  we  were  placed. 

Again,  a  comparison  of  ourselves  with  others,  has 
a  very  natural  tendency  to  divert  our  minds  from  a 
serious  consideration  of  our  own  guilt.  The  moat 
that  is  in  our  own  eye,  is  permitted  to  escape  obser- 
vation, when  we  behold  a  beam  in  the  eye  of  our 
brother.  These  things  are  suggested,  in  order  to 
administer  peace  to  the  mind ;  and,  in  consequence 
of  them,  from  melancholy  reflections  on  our  own  bad 
conduct,  and  from  the  apprehension  of  its  unhappy 
consequences,  we  become  quite  secure,  and  are  plea- 
sed to  find  that  we  are  superior  to  so  many  others. 
Thus,  a  less  degree  of  guilt  is  converted  into  a  kind 
of  negative  virtue,  and  we  transfer  our  fears  to  the 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  73 

over-balance  of  other  mens'  sins.  By  such  falla- 
cious arts,  we  are  persuaded  to  dispel  the  gloominess 
of  our  minds ;  we  magnify  the  offences  of  others,  to 
diminish  our  own.  This  passes  for  a  detestation  of 
sin,  and  we  become  prepared,  in  the  end,  to  join 
with  the  Pharisee  in  the  temple,  in  thanking  God 
"  that  we  are  not  as  other  men  are." 

Again,  if  the  original  depravity  of  human  nature 
is  admitted,  that  depravity  is  offered,  if  not  as  a  full 
justification,  at  least  as  a  sufficient  excuse.  This 
consideration,  humiliating  as  it  is,  and  most  cer- 
tainly true,  we  have  the  ingenuity  to  turn  to  our 
account,  by  giving  it  the  appellation  of  a  misfortune, 
rather  than  of  a  fault.  We  conclude,  that  all  men 
have  their  failings,  and  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  perfection  in  the  present  life.  This  is,  indeed,  a 
melancholy  truth ;  but,  it  must  needs  be  a  subtle  ar- 
gument that  could  produce  any  consolation  from  it. 
Yet,  so  it  is,  that  whilst  the  honest  mind  regrets  its 
many  imperfections,  and  seeks  improvement  from 
the  influences  of  Divine  Grace,  the  deceitful  heai't 
is  contented  to  take  shelter  under  the  unpromising 
banners  of  human  infirmities.  The  grossest  enor- 
mities are  but  constitutional  evils.  There  are  many 
virtues,  besides,  to  counterbalance  them,  and  we  are 
apt  to  flatter  ourselves,  upon  the  whole,  that  we 
have  a  very  good  heart. 

Another  deception  which  sin  practises  upon  us, 
is,  the  sanction  which  it  is  always  wont  to  claim  from 
specious  names.  The  contempt  of  God  and  of  his 
word,  has  learned  to  disclaim  the  harsh  and  odious 
name  of  infidelity,  and  to  arrogate  to  itself  the  softer 
name  of  reason.     We  indulge  the  utmost  licentious- 

10 


74  EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN. 

iiess  of  principles,  from  our  high  veneration  for  libe- 
rality of  sentiment.  If  we  approve  or  justify,  in 
any  instance,  the  libertine  conduct  of  others,  though 
it  be  really  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  give  some 
countenance  to  our  own,  yet  we  do  it  from  a  princi- 
ple of  Christian  cliarity.  An  avaricious  disposition 
invites  the  patronage  of  frugality,  and  the  most  cri- 
minal profusion  is  called  generosity.  Thus,  for 
whatever  vice  men  sutter  themselves  to  be  addicted 
to,  they  invent  a  respectable  plea ;  for,  it  is  sure  to 
put  itself  under  the  protection  of  some  splendid 
virtue. 

But,  perhaps  the  more  common  deception  of  sin 
is,  that  which  it  practises  upon  us  in  early  life. 
AVhen  we  first  enter  on  its  career,  we  please  our- 
selves with  the  prospect  of  many  days.     We  soon 
learn  that  youth  is  the  time  for  amusement ;  and  we 
fondly  hope  that  we  may  be  indulged  in  a  few  juve- 
nile follies,  and  the  fashionable  vices  of  the  times. 
And,  that  we  may  indulge  ourselves  in  them,  we 
first  form  a  resolution  that  we  will  repent  at  a  cer- 
tain  time  hereafter.     And,   though  this  is  really 
nothing  more  than  a  determination  to  defer  repen- 
tance for  the  present,  yet  it  serves  as  a  sufficient 
lure.     In  this  delusion  we  pass  through  life  ;  every 
day  more  corrupted  and  more  hardened  by  sin,  un- 
til, if  we  are  spared,  we  arrive  at  old  age,  the  time 
allotted  for  our  repentance.     But,  here  we  are  still 
deceived.     For  this  period  sin  seems  to  have  reserv- 
ed its  master-piece  of  fraud.     Those  evil  days  are 
now  come,  when  they  may  say  experimentally,  that 
they  see  no  pleasure  in  them.     Their  eyes  grow  dim 
with  age ;  their  desire  fails,  and  they  have  no  more 


EXHORTATION  AGAINST  SIN.  75 

fuel  with  which  to  rekindle  it.  But,  behold  !  when 
they  have  outlived  their  vices,  they  are  persuaded 
to  believe  that  they  have  abandoned  them.  They 
fondly  flatter  themselves,  that  they  have  at  length 
come  to  a  ri;:;ht  way  of  thinking ;  that  they  have 
entirely  forsaken  their  vices,  when  in  reality  their 
vices  only  have  forsaken  them. 

Thus,  sin  deceives  ;  thus,  it  hardens  ;  and  thus, 
it  destroys. 


DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE  HEART. 

•^  The  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things.^' 

Jeremiah,  17lli  cliap.  9lli  verse. 

Innumerable  are  the  temptations,  to  which  we 
are  in  this  world  exposed,  and  almost  insurmounta- 
ble the  obstacles  which  obstruct  our  happiness. 
They  are  so  far  an  over- match ;  the  one  for  our  vir- 
tue, and  the  other  for  our  strength,  that  it  is  only 
by  supernatural  aid  that  we  are  enabled  to  resist, 
and  finally  to  overcome.  No  sooner  did  man  come 
from  the  hand  of  his  Creator,  and  was  placed  in  a 
peaceful  and  happy  state,  than  a  snare  was  laid  for 
his  destruction.  He  was  plied  with  temptations  by 
the  great  deceiver,  and  fell  an  unhappy  victim  to 


76  DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE   HEART. 

their  power.  Ever  since,  their  number  has  in- 
creased, and  the  ability  to  resist  diminished.  "With 
departed  innocence  we  lost  our  best  defence,  and  by 
the  corruption  of  his  nature,  man  has  become  di- 
vided against  himself.  There  is  a  law  in  his  mem- 
bers warring  against  the  law  in  his  mind.  With- 
out, the  roaring  lion  is  ever  seeking  to  devour  him, 
and  a  strong  party  is  formed  against  him  within. 
Sin  has  introduced  an  innumerable  train  of  foes. 
The  world  itself  is  become  a  snare ;  it  is  full  of  de- 
ceit ;  for,  in  its  very  friendship  there  is  the  greatest 
danger.  On  every  hand  we  are  beset  with  enemies. 
Who  would  suppose  that  our  bosom  friend,  the 
heart,  was  amongst  the  number  ?  Alas  !  it  is  com- 
bined in  the  league  against  us  too.  It  betrays  us 
under  the  most  specious  pretences ;  it  flatters  us  to 
our  ruin  ;  it  is  one  of  the  worst  enemies  we  have  ;  it 
throws  open  the  door  to  every  invader;  and,  "is 
deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately  wicked." 
That  we  may  be  on  our  guard  against  this  dan- 
gerous enemy,  it  will  be  worth  our  pains  to  trace  it 
through  its  various  windings,  and  endeavor  to  ex- 
pose to  light  its  dark  intrigues.  Our  own  experi- 
ence may  assist  us  in  the  search,  and  serve  as  a  clue 
to  this  mysterious  labyrinth.  Our  case  is  singular, 
if  it  has  not  frequently  practised  its  delusive  arts  up- 
on us.  It  has  secretly  undermined  our  best  reso- 
lutions, diverted  us  from  our  duty  by  the  most  sub- 
tle artifices,  and  allured  us  to  the  commission  of 
crimes,  by  varnishing  them  over  with  a  specious 
gloss.  So  crafty  is  it,  that  we  seldom  suspect  the 
cheat,  until  we  experience  its  effects ;  till  a  more 
honest  conscience  challenges  our  faults,  and  we  are 


DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE  HEART.  77 

constrained  to  take  up  the  fruitless  lamentation,  "  O! 
mine  enemy,  thou  hast  prevailed  against  me." 

A  more  minute  detail  of  some  particulars,  will 
employ  the  remainder  of  this  discourse.  It  will 
bring  to  remembrance  our  past  experience,  and  may 
serve  as  a  warning  to  us  hereafter. 

First,  then,  we  may  safely  ascribe  it  to  the  de- 
ceitfulness  of  our  hearts,  that  we  have  so  often  and 
so  soon  broken  through  our  resolutions  to  correcl 
our  errors  and  amend  our  lives.  We  may  recol- 
lect when,  in  a  serious  hour,  we  had  retired  from  the 
tumultuous  scene,  or  were  satiated  with  the  vain 
pleasures  of  the  world,  the  duties  and  necessity  of 
religion  made  their  claim.  Then  we  determined 
that  we  would  listen  to  their  plea,  and  follow  their 
advice.  Or,  when  uneasy  by  the  conscious  sense  of 
some  forbidden  wickedness,  or  harrassed  by  the 
gnawings  of  a  guilty  conscience,  we  resolved  that 
we  would  amend  our  ways  in  future.  This  is  so  com- 
mon, that  we  may  presume  it  has  been  the  case,  at 
times,  with  every  one  in  this  assembly  ;  and  yet, 
perhaps,  it  is  as  universally  true,  that  these  good 
purposes  have  not  been  kept.  We  have  frequently 
resolved,  and  as  often  relinquished  our  resolutions. 
A  wicked  heart,  like  a  deceitful  companion,  has 
drawn  us  aside,  and  given  to  our  mind  a  diflferent 
turn.  It  has  suggested  to  us  the  most  fallacious  ar- 
guments ;  accommodated  some  to  our  youth,  some 
to  our  health  and  strength  of  body,  some  to  our  con- 
dition in  life,  and  all  to  the  pitiable  depravity  of 
human  nature.  It  knows  full  well  what  advantage 
to  make  of  all  these  sources  of  deception,  and  is 
well  versed  in  the  subtle  artifice  of  sophistical  de- 
ductions. 


78  DECEITFULNESS  OP  THE  HEART. 

Tlic  young,  imtaught  by  experience  to  be  wary 
and  suspicious,  are  ever  credulous  to  the  plausible 
and  fair.  They  listen,  with  pleasure,  to  the  fond 
idea,  that  they  have  many  days  to  live,  aud  are 
easily  persuaded  to  put  off,  for  the  present,  the  so- 
ber concerns  of  religion,  and  wait  a  more  conveni- 
ent season,  which  shall  l)e  better  adapted  to  them. 
"When  life  is  young,  (the  deceitful  heart  suggests,) 
it  is  to  be  expected  that  it  will  bear  some  marks  of 
folly  and  extravagance.  They  are,  therefore,  fond- 
ly persuaded,  that  a  little  indulgence  in  the  plea- 
sures and  fashionable  vices  of  the  times,  cannot  be 
very  criminal.  They  take  the  indulgence  which 
their  hearts  desire :  they  enter  into  the  enchanted 
circle  of  folly,  noise  and  fashion,  in  which  all  things 
appear  very  differently  from  what  they  really  are. 
They  become  capti\  ated  and  deceived  by  their  fas- 
cinating charms,  and  take  their  leave  of  all  their  se- 
rious thoughts.  By  such  gradual  process,  are  the 
youthful  and  unwary  led  estray. 

As  to  the  middle  aged,  they  may,  perhaps,  be 
supposed  to  walk  with  cautious  circumspection. — 
Years  may  have  communicated  wisdom,  and  the 
various  scenes  through  which  they  passed,  given 
them  experience.  But,  they  are  not  yet  secure 
against  the  temptations  of  a  wicked  heart.  They 
do  not  yet  suspect  it.  It  claims  to  be  an  old  and 
tried  friend.  They  have  followed  its  counsels  all 
along,  and  what  is  past  of  their  journey,  has  proved 
pleasant  enough.  By  its  artful  management,  they 
have  out-lived  those  qualms  of  conscience  which 
disturb  the  repose  of  novices  in  vice.  They  were 
afraid,  at  first,  that  judgment  would  be  executed ; 
yet,  they  find  all  things  continuing  as  they  were. 


DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE  HEART.  79 

All  these  grounds  of  security,  it  cunningly  sug- 
gests. It  admonishes  them,  too,  that  their  hill  is 
still  unshaken  :  they  have  yet  a  sound  and  vigorous 
constitution,  and  their  strength  is  unimpaired.  This 
being  the  case,  it  is  with  no  great  reluctance  that 
they  are  again  persuaded  to  put  off  the  evil  day  ;  and 
the  deceitful,  wicked  heart,  still  cheers  them  up, 
through  the  succeeding  period.  With  this,  then, 
it  must  be  presumed,  that  its  good  offices  will  end. 
Its  deceitfulness  must,  surely,  be  detected.  In  their 
old  age,  the  dream  begins  to  vanish ;  their  strength 
fails  them ;  their  bodies  are  worn  out ;  the  brawny 
muscles  are  shrivelled  away ;  every  nerve  unstrung ; 
and  the  hoary  lock  admonishes  them  that  their  race 
is  over.  Ey  what  possible  artifice  are  their  spirits 
now  to  be  supported,  when  they  stand  on  the  verge 
of  eternity,  and  look  back  on  a  mis-spent  life?  It 
would  seem,  that  they  cannot  now  be  buoyed  up 
by  distant  hope,  and  one  would  think  that  the  wily 
heart  itself  would  not  presume  on  flattering  them. 
But,  for  this  last,  concluding  scene,  it  has  reserved 
its  master-piece  of  fraud.  Those  evil  days  have 
come,  when  they  may  truly  say,  they  see  no  plea- 
sure in  them ;  their  desire  fails,  and  they  have  no 
more  fuel  to  re-kindle  it ;  and  when  they  have  out- 
lived their  vices,  they  are  persuaded  to  believe  that 
they  have  abandoned  them.  They  would  fondly 
flatter  themselves,  that  they  have  forsaken  their  vi- 
ces, when,  in  truth,  their  vices  have  forsaken  them. 
This  is  the  subterfuge  to  which  they  are  driven. — 
O,  this  wicked  heart  of  our's !  It  deceives  us  from 
first  to  last. 


80  DECEITFULNES8  OF  THE  HEART. 

Having  pursued  it  through  the  several  stages  of 
youth,  manhood  and  old  age,  we  will  now  return 
and  take  a  short  view  of  its  manoeuvres  in  some  in- 
termediate steps.  I  intended,  indeed,  to  hold  up  to 
view  the  subtleties  of  the  heart,  in  accommodating  its 
temptations  to  the  various  conditions  of  life  in  which 
men  are  placed,  considering  them  as  prosperous  or 
unsuccessful,  as  private  or  as  public  characters.  It 
has  wiles  to  prastice  on  each  of  these ;  but,  from 
the  example  which  has  been  already  exhibited,  we 
may  learn  them  all.  Let  us,  then,  in  what  remains 
of  this  discourse,  confine  ourselves  to  the  discovery 
of  such  dangers  as  are  common  to  every  station  and 
every  period  of  life.  Notwithstanding  all  the  al- 
lurements to  a  wicked  life,  there  is  no  man,  perhaps, 
that  has  persisted  in  it  without  many  interruptions 
from  the  remonstrances  and  checks  of  conscience. 
It  is  well  worth  while  to  consider  the  deceitful  sug- 
gestions of  the  heart,  on  such  occasions.  Like  a 
ready  counsel,  it  is  ever  at  hand  to  appear  for  the 
criminal  at  the  bar,  and  plead  his  cause.  It  leaves 
no  subtle  art  untried  to  justify  him  to  himself,  and 
thereby  appease  his  conscience.  The  offence,  in 
the  first  place,  is  represented  as  small  and  trifling. 
All  things  considered,  it  is  very  pardonable ;  and, 
indeed,  it  is  very  meritorious  that  we  were  guilty  of 
nothing  worse. 

If  this  art  fail,  there  is  another  ready.  The  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case ;  the  temptation  which  was 
thrown  in  our  way ;  the  impetuosity  of  the  passions, 
and  the  suddenness  of  surprise,  are  all  offered  in 
palliation  of  the  crime.    These  considerations,  sure- 


DECEITFULNESS  OF  THE  HEART.  81 

ly,  entitle  us  to  some  indulgence.  Any  other  per- 
son, in  our  situation,  would  have  acted  as  we  did. 
By  such  reasoning,  we  begin  to  think  that  we  are 
not  so  guilty  as  we  at  first  imagined ;  and  it  is  well 
if  we  do  not  exculpate  ourselves  entirely,  and  lay 
the  whole  blame  on  some  of  our  companions,  or  the 
peculiar  circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed. 
A  comparison  of  ourselves  with  others,  is  another 
very  flattering  plea,  which  is  submitted  to  our  con- 
sideration ;  and  this  affords  at  least  an  indirect  sa- 
tisfaction to  our  minds.  From  a  melancholy  review 
of  our  conduct,  and  from  a  dejection  of  spirit,  from 
the  apprehension  of  its  dreadful  consequences,  we 
rise,  all  at  once,  to  a  superiority  over  many  others. 
We  are  persuaded  to  transfer  our  fears  to  the  over- 
balance of  other  mens'  sins.  We  have  some  fail- 
ings indeed ;  but,  in  comparison  of  others,  we  are 
quite  innocent.  So  ingenious  is  the  heart  of  man, 
that  it  converts  a  less  degi'ee  of  guilt  into  a  virtue. 
By  such  fallacious  arts,  we  are  taught  to  dispel  the 
gloominess  of  our  minds.  And  before  all  is  over, 
we  are  apt  to  join  with  the  Pharisee  in  the  Temple, 
in  thanking  God,  that  we  are  not  as  other  men  are. 
Again,  the  depravity  of  human  nature  offers  us  its 
aid,  when  we  are  at  any  loss  for  a  ground  of  justifi- 
cation. This  consideration,  humiliating  as  it  is,  we 
turn  to  our  account.  If  we  are  guilty,  we  ask, 
"And  who  is  innocent?  All  men  have  their  fail- 
ings ;  and  there  is  no  such  thing  as  perfection  in  this 
life."  This  is,  indeed,  a  melancliuly  truth ;  and  it 
must  needs  be  a  subtle  reasoner,  that  could  draw 
any  comfort  from  it.      Yet,  so  it  is,  that  whilst  the 

11 


82  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

honest  mind  regrets  the  many  imperfections,  the  de- 
ceitful heart  takes  shelter  under  the  deceitful  doak 
of  human  infirmities. 


ON  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

*^  For,  what  is  a  man  profited,  if  he  should  gain  the 
whole  icorld  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  Or,  what 
shall  a  man  give  in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?" 

Mattliew,  16lh  cliap.  26th  verse. 

In  the  two  preceding  verses,  our  Lord  acquaint- 
ed his  disciples  with  the  terms  of  that  salvation 
which  he  was  to  procure  for  his  followers,  and  fi- 
nally to  bestow.  And,  as  these  appeared  somewhat 
hard,  he  took  occasion,  in  the  words  of  the  text,  to 
obviate  any  objection  that  might  be  raised  on  that 
account. 

The  conditions  were,  that  "if  any  man  would 
come  after  him,  he  should  deny  himself,  and  take  up 
his  cross  and  follow  him  :  for,"  says  he,  '*  whoso- 
ever will  save  his  life,  shall  lose  it ;  and  whosoever 
will  lose  his  life,  for  my  sake,  shall  find  it." 

If  there  be  any  hard  sayings  in  the  Gospel,  it 
must  be  acknowledged,  that  these  are  certainly 
within   that  description.     To  deny  ourselves;  to 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL.  83 

resist  and  forego  our  own  inclinations ;  to  give  up 
all  our  favourite  pursuits  ;  to  take  up  our  cross,  anil, 
finally,  to  resign  life  itself,  are  sayings,  indeed, 
which  few  men  can  bear.  They  seem  to  imply  the 
loss  of  every  thing  that  is  worth  having,  and  to  place 
us  in  a  worse  situation  than  we  would  otherwise  be 
in. 

Such,  at  first  view,  appears  to  be  the  amount  of 
these  conditions.  But,  before  we  thus  decide  upon 
them,  we  are  called  upon  in  the  text,  to  make  use  of 
our  reason,  in  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  pre- 
mises, and  thence  to  draw  our  conclusion  :  ^'  What 
is  a  man  profited,  if  he  should  gain  the  whole  world 
and  lose  his  own  soul?" 

The  question  is  stated,  it  must  be  allowed,  in  the 
most  favourable  light,  on  the  side  of  earthly  posses- 
sions. Perpetually  engaged  as  men  are,  in  contend- 
ing for  the  goods  of  life,  it  is  to  be  expected,  that 
the  portion  of  them  which  may  fall,  in  the  end,  to  the 
lot  of  any  one,  cannot  be  very  large. 

But,  the  supposition  is,  that  a  man  shall  be  so 
successful  as  to  get  the  whole  world  into  his  posses- 
sion ;  and,  with  this  is  contrasted  the  loss  of  his 
soul. 

This  is  the  state  of  the  case,  as  exhibited  by  our 
Lord,  and  on  tliis  we  will  now  join  issue. 

I  beg  leave,  in  this  place,  to  make  two  remarks, 
on  the  truth  of  which  the  decision  of  this  question 
will  depend.  The  first  is,  that  the  ultimate  advan- 
tage of  any  possession,  to  the  owner,  is  not  to  be  es- 
timated by  the  quantity  of  the  article  itself,  but  by 
the  balance  that  shall  be  found  in  his  favour,  after  a 
deduction  of  all  expenses,  and  the  final  settlement  of 


84  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

the  account.  Secondly,  that  when  any  two  ohjects 
are  put  in  competition,  it*  we  cannot  enjoy  them  both, 
it  is  alto^^ether  reason;il)le  to  give  the  preference  to 
that  which  is  of  the  greatest  value,  whilst  wisdom 
is  empU)ycd  in  prosecuting  the  means  which  may  be 
necessary  to  the  attainment  of  it.  If  these  obser- 
vations be  well  founded,  it  will  become  no  difficult 
task  to  decide  upon  tlie  present  question. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  fair  and  unbiassed  judgment 
upon  this  subject,  I  will,  in  the  first  place,  consider 
what  sacrifices  we  are  called  to  make,  for  the  salva- 
tion of  the  soul. 

Secondly,  what  may  be  the  value  of  the  soul  it- 
self. This,  in  the  third  place,  will  induce  the  com- 
parison which  our  Lord  has  stated,  between  the 
value  of  the  soul  and  that  of  all  temporal  posses- 
sions and  enjoyments. 

The  first  consideration  is,  the  sacrifices  which  we 
are  called  to  make,  in  order  to  the  salvation  of  our 
souls.  This  will  occupy  the  present  discourse. 
This  enquiry  is  not  only  fair  and  proper  in  itself, 
but  is  particularly  authorised  by  the  directions  of 
our  Lord.  If  a  man  have  a  mind  to  build  an  house, 
he  recommends  that  he  first  sit  down  and  count  the 
cost.  So,  also,  in  recommending  to  men  the  care 
of  their  souls,  as  the  one  thing  needful,  he  prefaces 
it  with  this  information,  that  they  must  deny  them- 
selves, take  up  their  cross,  and  even  hold  their  lives 
cheap  for  his  sake.  These  terms  of  admission  into 
his  kingdom,  have  been  sometimes  aggravated,  and 
sometimes,  1  believe,  too  much  mitigated. 

The  first  of  them,  indeed,  if  1  understand  it  pro- 
perly, seems  to  admit  of  no  qualification.     We  must 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL.  85 

deny  ourselves.  If  we  would  make  religion  our 
choice  and  adhere  to  the  ways  of  Holiness,  which 
alone  lead  to  happiness,  we  must  begin  by  restrain- 
ing and  mortifying  our  own  natural  desires  and  in- 
clinations. The  obvious  reason  of  this  is,  that  our 
affections  are  depraved,  and  that  the  natural  man  sa- 
voureth  not  of  the  things  of  God.  Human  nature 
is  said,  in  Scripture,  to  be  prone  to  evil  as  the 
sparks  fly  upwards.  Tliis  propensity  to  evil,  then, 
must  in  no  instance  be  indulged,  because  it  renders 
us  unworthy,  as  well  as  wholly  unfit  to  hold  that 
communion  with  God,  either  here,  or  hereafter,  in 
which  the  happiness  of  the  soul  consists.  The 
grace  of  God,  which  hath  appeared  to  all  men, 
teaclies,  that  denying  ungodliness  and  every  fleshly 
lust,  we  should  live  soberly,  righteously  and  Godli- 
ly,  in  this  present  evil  world. 

Were  I  asked  how  far  this  injunction  extends,  1 
would  say  that  it  extends  to  the  prohibition,  not  only 
of  all  criminal  pleasures  absolutely,  but  even  of 
such  more  innocent  amusements  as  might  be  substi- 
tuted in  the  room,  or  obstruct  the  progress  of  true 
and  practical  religion.  I  will  endeavour  to  explain 
my  meaning  by  one  example,  which  I  select  from 
many  others,  because  the  most  familiar,  and,  all 
things  considered,  perhaps  the  most  dangerous  of 
any.  That  propensity  which  many  have  to  jovial 
companions,  revelling  and  intemperate  mirth  of  every 
kind,  if  it  be  indulged  and  unrestrained,  stands  di- 
rectly opposed  to  our  safety,  and  is  highly  injurious 
to  the  interests  of  religion.  If  we  would  be  follow- 
ers of  our  Heavenly  Master,  we  must  carefully  guard 
ourselves  against  too  great  an  indulgence  in  these, 


86  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

and  exchange  them  for  the  company  of  such  as  fear 
God,  and  for  the  more  vSober,  yet  not  less  cheerful 
duties  of  a  virtuous  life.  In  a  word,  we  are  requir- 
ed to  turn  from  every  evil  way,  and,  having  done 
inicjuity,  to  do  so  no  more. 

The  example  which  1  have  chosen,  may,  perhaps, 
appear  but  trivial ;  yet,  as  we  are  commanded  to 
avoid  a  conformity  to  the  world,  I  am  persuaded 
it  is  of  great  importance,  as  far  as  the  principles  of 
religion  are  concerned  ;  and  particularly  so,  in  the 
consequences  with  which  it  is  usually  attended. — 
When  men  have  set  their  invention  to  work,  to  find 
out  how  far  they  may,  with  safety,  give  in  to  the 
fashionable  follies  and  merriments  of  the  day  ;  how 
far  religion  may  be  consistent  with  a  conformity  to 
the  maxims  and  manners  of  the  age,  they  have  sel- 
dom stopped  short  of  an  extreme,  in  abating  more 
than  they  ought,  I  think,  of  that  steady  adherence 
to  the  principles  and  practice  of  virtue,  which  our 
Lord  himself  has  seen  proper  to  enjoin. 

To  tlie  other  part  of  the  conditions  which  respect 
the  renunciation  of  the  profits  of  the  world,  and  the 
losing  of  our  lives  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  the  Scrip- 
tures admit  of  certain  limitations.  Such  as  have  re- 
tired from  all  the  busy  and  industrious  scenes  of  life, 
and  rendered  themselves  useless,  if  not  burthensome 
to  society,  under  pretence  of  renouncing  the  world, 
have  no  doubt  been  guilty  of  an  error.  In  this  they 
have  been  influenced  by  a  mistaken  zeal,  neither 
warranted  by  Scripture,  nor  directed  by  knowledge. 
The  same  principle,  carried  to  its  extent,  would  al- 
so lead  them  to  put  an  end  to  their  existence.  It 
has  sometimes  happened,  too,  that  piously  disposed, 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL.  87 

but  misinformed  men,  have  been  oflRcious  in  incur- 
ring the  hatred,  and  provoking  the  insults  of  a  con- 
temptuous world,  that  they  might  have  the  honor 
of  suflering  reproach  and  scorn  for  the  sake  of  their 
Master.  Every  thing  of  this  kind  seems  evidently 
to  imply  a  w^ant  of  that  prudence  which  should  be- 
long to  a  Christian  ;  and  I  do  suppose  that  no  man 
was  ever  called  to  it.  Indeed,  when  a  sense  of 
known  duty  calls  upon  us,  if  we  would  attend  to 
the  precepts  and  imitate  the  example  of  our  Divine 
Master,  we  should  never  shrink  from  it  through  fear 
of  opposition,  reproach  or  suffering,  but  be  ready  to 
meet  and  contented  to  bear  them.  Yet,  if  it  be  in 
our  power,  it  is  doubtless  our  duty  to  avoid  reproach, 
and  not  to  court  ill  usage,  because,  as  our  Saviour 
has  expressed  it,  suflficient  unto  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof. 

But,  the  time  has  been,  (and  it  may  be  again,) 
when  it  was  the  indispensable  duty  of  Christians, 
to  give  up  all  their  worldly  possessions,  and  even  to 
lay  down  their  lives  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  Peter 
and  the  rest  of  the  disciples,  left  all  and  followed 
him.  So  also,  when  persecution  raged  against  the 
Church ;  when  those  who  professed  the  doctrines 
and  observed  the  duties  of  the  Christian  religion, 
were  accounted  worthy  of  death,  they  were  dragged 
as  sheep  to  the  slaughter.  I  should  rather  say,  in- 
deed, that  they  went  cheerfully  to  the  stake  or  scaf- 
fold, and  sealed  their  testimony  with  their  blood. 

Should  such  circumstances  occur  again,  our  duty 
certainly  would  be  to  follow  their  example. 

But  though,  in  the  providence  of  God,  we  possess 
a  goodly  heritage,  and  are  totally  delivered  from 


88  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

the  feavs  of  any  such  violence,  we  are,  nevertheless, 
not  altogether  discharged  from  the  exercise  of  the 
same  duties.  It  has  I)een  said,  and  1  think  with 
great  propriety,  that  every  faithful  Christian  is  an 
intentional  martyr :  that  is  to  say,  that  if  he  were 
called  upon,  in  the  providence  of  God,  he  would,  in 
the  last  extremity,  think  it  his  duty  rather  to  resign 
liis  life,  than  to  renounce  his  faith,  and  the  testimo- 
ny of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  the  same  application  ex- 
tends to  the  good  things  of  the  world.  These, 
though,  indeed,  of  inferior  value,  are  yet  by  no 
means  despicable  in  the  estimation  of  a  religious 
man.  It  is  his  duty,  industriously  to  procure,  and 
thankfully  to  enjoy  them.  But,  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  interests  of  his  own  soul,  must  be  uppermost 
in  his  esteem ;  and  with  respect  to  all  things  else, 
he  must  be  comparatively  indifferent.  If,  in  times 
of  danger  and  necessity,  it  would  be  incumbent  on 
him  to  part  with  the  gifts  of  fortune,  and  even  his 
life,  certainly  a  total  deliverance  from  such  urgent 
circumstances,  though  it  should  make  him  thankful, 
would,  by  no  means,  justify  him  in  giving  these 
things  the  highest  place  in  his  affections. 

It  appears,  then,  that  the  exercise  of  tliese  duties, 
enjoined  by  our  Saviour,  will  be  found  to  consist  in 
the  temper  and  disposition  of  the  mind.  The  tran- 
sitory enjoyments  of  time  and  sense,  of  whatever 
kind  they  may  be,  whether  houses,  lands  or  rela- 
tions, are  to  be  held  by  Christians  in  perfect  resig- 
nation to  the  will  of  their  Heavenly  Master,  and 
they  should  be  prepared  to  give  them  up  without  re- 
pining, whenever  he  is  pleased  to  call  for  them. 


THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL.  89 

What  shall  we  say  of  the  conduct  of  those,  who, 
having  met  with  disap[)ointincnt  in  their  worldly  pro- 
jects, or  loss  of  their  goods  by  fire,  or  by  storms, 
suffer  their  grief  and  mourning  to  increase  to  such 
a  pitch  as  to  render  them  quite  miserable  and  fretful 
while  they  live,  and  perhaps  drive  them,  in  the  end, 
to  destroy  their  own  existence?  It  is  certainly  an 
evidence  that  they  esteemed  these  things  too  highly, 
a.id  were  too  much  wedded  to  their  idols. 

When,  in  any  instance,  men  are  dissatisfied  and 
unhappy  under  the  hand  of  God,  in  the  disposal  of 
their  worldly  affairs,  it  is  clear  that  they  are  desti- 
tute of  the  qualifications  of  those  wlio  shall  inherit 
his  kingdom. 

The  same  thing  is  also  to  be  sai<l  of  that  eager  and 
unwearied  pursuit,  in  vvliich  too  many  are  engaged 
after  the  profits  of  the  world.  1 1  seems  to  be  their  only 
study  to  heap  up  wealth,  and  their  only  inquiry,  who 
will  shew  us  any  earthly  good  ?  This  seems  strongly 
to  indicate,  that  they  consider  these  things  as  the  most 
valuable  portion  ;  and,  if  so,  they  are  in  the  great- 
est danger  of  bartering  for  them  the  more  precious 
interest  of  their  souls.  When  this  is  the  case  with 
any  of  us,  my  brethren  ;  when  we  find  ourselves  ea- 
ger in  the  pursuit  of  the  goods  of  fortune,  or  undu- 
ly attached  to  the  possession  of  them,  we  are,  1  think, 
in  very  great  jeopardy,  and  have  placed  ourselves 
nearly  in  the  situation  of  the  young  man  in  the  Gos- 
pel, who  went  away  sorrowful,  wlieu  he  was  direct- 
ed to  part  with  his  estate,  and  refused  to  exchange 
it  for  all  the  treasures  of  Heaven.  The  influence  of 
sensible  and  present  enjoyments  on  the  mind,  is  so 
exceedingly  strong,  and  the  danger  from  this  quar- 

12 


90  THE  VALUE  OF  THE  SOUL. 

ter  is  so  great,  that  the  disciples  of  our  Lord  thought 
it  almost  impossible  that  any  could  be  saved.  There- 
fore, there  is  great  need  that  we  endeavour  to  guard, 
ourselves  against  them  with  the  utmost  caution,  and 
deny  ourselves  to  them  with  the  most  Christian  for- 
titude and  resignation.  If  any  man  love  the  world, 
says  our  Lord,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple.  The  ex- 
tent and  meaning  of  this,  is  more  fully  expressed  in 
a  passage  in  the  10th  of  Matthew:  "Hethatloveth 
father  or  mother,  more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of 
me ;  and  he  that  loveth  son  or  daughter  more  than 
me,  is  not  worthy  of  me.  And  he  that  taketh  not 
his  cross  and  followeth  after  me,  is  not  worthy  of 
me.  He  that  findeth  his  life  shall  lose  it,  and  he 
that  loseth  his  lil'e  for  my  sake,  shall  find  it." 


RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE.  91 

RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

^*And  his  commands  are  not  grievous  J^ 

1  John,  5th  chap.  3d  verse. 

Christianity  has  suffered  much  in  the  world,  by 
the  misrepresentations  of  its  enemies,  as  well  as  by 
the  blind  zeal  of  some  weak  friends  and  advocates. 
There  is  scarcely  a  reproach  which  has  not  been 
cast  upon  it ;  nor  an  evil  which  has  not  been  charg- 
ed to  its  account,  by  the  malevolence  of  the  one,  or 
through  the  ill  judged  zeal  of  the  other. 

Our  blessed  Lord,  himself,  notwithstanding  the 
peaceful  and  temperate  life  which  he  led,  was  charg- 
ed with  attempting  to  subveri  the  civil  government, 
by  forbidding  to  pay  tribute  to  Caesar;  saying, 
that  he  himself  was  Christ,  a  King;  of  being  a 
wine-bibber  and  a  friend  of  publicans  and  sinners ; 
and  his  Apostles  were  accused  of  introducing  dis- 
orders in  the  world,  though  their  doctrines  had  a  di- 
rect tendency  to  promote  peace  and  harmony ;  ^'  those 
that  turn  the  world  up-side- down,  are  come  hither 
also."  But,  these  charges  were  not  of  the  most  dan- 
gerous kind ;  for,  their  falsehood  was  too  obvious 
for  them  to  impose,  even  on  the  weakest. 

Amongst  the  many  objections  which  the  enemies 
of  Christianity  have  raised  against  it,  none  is  more 
common  or  more  unfriendly  to  its  interests,  than  that 
of  a  gloomy,  severe  and  unsocial  spirit,  which  is 
often  attributed  to  it  by  its  enemies,  and  to  which 


92  RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

the  conduct  of  some  of  its  professed  friends,  seems  to 
give  some  weight.  By  a  severe  and  gloomy  exte- 
rior, they  have  created  unhappy  prejudices  against 
Christianity  in  the  minds  of  others. 

If  we  embrace  this  religion,  say  they,  we  must^ 
with  it,  embrace  this  austere  way  of  living ;  we  must 
assume  this  solemn  air,  and  this  sadness  of  counte- 
nance, which  precludes  even  the  most  innocent  and 
temperate  enjoyments. 

Adieu,  then,  to  all  the  social  pleasures,  the  cheer- 
ful look  and  joyful  countenance ;  in  fine,  we  must 
banish  all  but  gloom  and  solitude. 

Without  the  social  pleasures ;  without  cheerful- 
ness ;  without  joy ;  Avhat  is  life  ?  It  is  worse  than 
death  itself;  and  that  religion  which  forbids  us  those 
innocent  enjoyments  for  which  nature  has  chiefly 
fitted  us,  however  it  may  suit  the  gloomy  and  mo- 
rose, is  certainly  very  improper  for  us,  and  as  such^ 
we  do  well  to  reject  it. 

It  is  with  a  view  to  obviate  this  objection,  and  to 
expose  its  injustice,  that  I  have  chosen  the  words 
now  read  in  your  hearing,  as  the  subject  of  this  ad- 
dress ;  in  the  progress  of  which,  I  propose  to  shew : 

1st.  That  the  difficulties  which  occur  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  duties  of  Christianity,  proceed  not  from 
any  thing  in  the  nature  of  the  requisitions,  but  from 
the  temper  of  our  minds. 

2d.  That  those  commands  of  the  Gospel  the  most 
loudly  complained  of,  are  such  as  are  the  most  salu- 
tary in  their  nature,  and  such  as  we  would  the  most 
willingly  perform,  if  we  had  a  proper  sense  of  our 
own  interest. 


RELIGION  A  BEASONABLE  SERVICE.  93 

3d.  That  Christianity  is  so  far  from  being  an 
enemy  to  innocent  enjoyments,  that  it  gives  a  higher 
relish  to  them. 

It  would  be  endless  to  enumerate  all  the  com- 
mands of  the  Gospel,  which  have,  by  men  of  differ- 
ent tempers  of  mind,  been  complained  of  as  harsh 
and  unreasonable ;  but,  that  we  may  do  ample  jus- 
tice to  this  subject,  we  will  select  a  few  which  ha^  e 
been  the  most  general  subjects  of  complaint. 

"  If  thy  right  hand  off'eud  thee,"  says  our  Lord, 
*^  cut  it  off;  if  thy  right  eye  offend  thee,  pluck  it 
out."  These  are  amongst  the  hard  sayings  of  the 
Gospel ;  and  if  any  of  its  precepts  may  be  complain- 
ed of  for  their  severity,  these  certainly  may.  It  is 
here  to  be  observed,  that  these  are  figurative  expres- 
sions ;  and  that  by  cutting  off  a  right  hand,  or  pluck- 
ing out  a  right  eye,  the  mortifying  and  subduing  our 
reigning  passions  are  pointed  out.  Yet,  by  this 
explanation,  the  nature  of  tlie  command  is  no  way 
softened ;  for,  in  this  sense,  they  are  still  hard  say- 
ings to  carnal  men. 

Though  the  power  of  sinful  passions  is  great  in 
every  unregenerate  mind,  yet,  the  same  passions  do 
not  prevail  in  every  mind ;  and  further,  the  ruling 
passion  of  the  mind  may,  in  some  good  measure, 
subdue,  if  not  entirely  eradicate,  all  the  others. — 
Where  this  is  the  case,  those  commands  of  the  Gos- 
pel are  well  received  which  do  not  interfere  with 
this  *'  master  passion,"  as  the  poet  expresses  it ;  but 
such  as  are  levelled  at  it,  are  sure  to  be  received  as 
a  hard  saying. 

We  have  an  illustration  of  this  observation,  in  the 
case  of  the  young  man  in  the  Gospel,  who  came  to 


94  RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

our  Lord  to  know  what  he  must  do  to  be  saved. 
Our  Lord  refers  him  to  the  law,  the  leading  precepts 
of  which  were  recited  ;  and  as  nothing,  yet  mention- 
ed, was  opposed  to  his  leading  passion  of  avarice, 
they  sat  easy  enough  on  his  mind,  and  he  replies, 
"  All  these  1  have  kept  from  my  youth."  Yet,  says 
our  Lord, ''  Lackest  thou  one  thing;  sell  all  that  thou 
hast,  and  give  to  the  poor."  This  was  a  severe 
blow !  This  was  lopping  off  a  right  hand,  or  pluck- 
ing out  a  right  eye.  Any  thing  but  this !  He  would 
honor  his  father  and  mother,  as  much  as  our  Lord 
would  require ;  or  he  would  live  as  peaceably,  as 
temperately,  and  as  chastely,  as  could  be  wished; 
indulge  him  in  this  favorite  vice,  and  in  other  re- 
spects he  would  be  very  virtuous.  Why  so?  Is 
avarice  so  much  harder  to  subdue  than  any  other 
vice  of  the  mind?  IS'o;  but  his  heart  was  particu- 
larly weak  in  that  quarter ;  avarice  had  corrupted 
his  mind,  and  probing  that  wound,  gave  him  infinite 
pain.  Had  sensuality,  or  ambition,  or  pride,  or  re- 
venge, been  the  ruling  passion  of  his  mind,  he  would 
have  gone  away  just  as  sorrowful,  on  being  forbid- 
den the  pursuit  of  them. 

Tell  a  proud  man,  that  he  must,  if  he  would  be  a 
Christian,  be  just,  sincere,  benevolent,  and  even  de- 
vout :  why  !  all  this  is  well ;  he  has  observed  all  these 
from  his  youth.  But,  tell  him  he  must  deny  him- 
self and  take  up  his  cross,  and  you  send  him  away 
sorrowful. 

The  sensualist  will  subscribe  to  any  thing,  which 
will  leave  him  in  possession  of  his  good  cbeer. 

So,  that  you  see  the  diificulty  of  obeying  all 
Hiese  precepts  of  the  Gospel  arises  from  the  temper 


RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE.  95 

of  our  mind ;  otherwise,  the  same  command  would 
be  equally  grievous  to  all.  If  the  difficulty  lay  in 
the  nature  of  the  duty  to  be  performed,  all  would 
find  it  difficult.  But,  you  see  what  is  most  grievous 
to  one,  is  easy  to  another,  just  as  the  temper  of  our 
mind  happens  to  be. 

The  only  way  to  make  our  duty  easy  to  us,  is  to 
have  these  inordinate  affections  subdued,  and  the 
temper  of  our  minds  rectified,  which  is  the  very  thing 
the  Gospel  professes  to  do  for  us ;  and  this  leads  to 
the  second  thing  proposed,  to  prove,  that  those  com- 
mands of  the  Grospel  the  most  loudly  complained  of, 
are  the  most  salutary  in  their  nature,  and  such  as 
we  would  most  willingly  practice,  if  we  had  a  pro- 
per sense  of  our  own  interest. 

It  is  plain,  from  the  constitution  of  the  human 
mind,  that  reason  was  designed  to  be  the  ruling 
power  in  it,  to  which  all  the  passions  were  to  be 
subordinate.  It  is  the  business  of  reason  to  give 
the  passions  their  proper  direction,  and  to  moderate 
them  in  the  pursuit  of  their  objects  ;  to  restrain  us  in 
the  pursuit  of  what  is  hurtful,  and  quicken  our  en- 
deavors in  the  attainment  of  what  is  proper  and  salu- 
tary. 

Whilst  reason  is  thus  at  the  helm,  the  mind  is 
tranquil  and  happy,  and  the  character  virtuous  and 
respectable. 

liut,  when  this  order  of  things  is  deranged ;  when 
the  passions  cease  to  submit  to  the  guidance  of  rea- 
son ;  when  we  pursue  with  eagerness,  what  is  most 
hurtful ;  when  we  relax  in  the  pursuit  of  what  is 
more  beneficial ;  and,  further,  when  different  pas- 
sions impel  us  in  different  directions,  so  as  to  dis- 


96  RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

tract  the  mind  by  engaging  us  in  pursuits  quite  in- 
compatible, it  is  easy  to  see  what  a  scene  of  disorder 
and  misery  must  ensue.  Indeed,  it  is  scarcely  pos- 
sible to  couceive,  of  any  thing,  more  wretched  than 
such  a  state  of  mind. 

And,  the  longer  this  disorder  continues,  the  more 
it  increases.  The  moral  powers,  by  being  diverted 
from  their  proper  object,  become  unfit  for  any  thing 
good  or  virtuous,  and  the  soul  sinks,  at  last,  into  a 
degree  of  depravity,  which  manifests  itself  in  the 
most  ilagitious  and  shameful  pursuits  and  enjoy- 
ments. And,  what  adds  greatly  to  the  misery  of 
such  a  state  of  mind,  is  a  sense  of  the  Divine  dis- 
pleasure, resulting  from  a  consciousness  of  having 
lived  in  the  violation  of  the  laws  which  God  had 
impressed  on  their  minds  and  revealed  in  his  word. 

That  we  are  not  mistaken  in  reasoning  thus,  from 
the  constitution  of  our  minds,  scripture  and  experi- 
ence both  clearly  evince.  If  we  consult  the  former, 
we  find  the  restless  and  agitated  state  of  the  sinner's 
mind  painted  in  all  that  beauty  and  force  of  lan- 
guage, so  peculiar  to  the  sacred  writings  :  *'  To  the 
wicked  there  is  no  peace ;  they  are  like  the  troubled 
sea,  when  it  cannot  rest ;  they  travail  with  pain,  all 
their  days ;  trouble  and  anguish  prevail  against 
them ;  terrors  make  them  afraid  on  every  side ;  a 
dreadful  sound  is  in  their  ears ;  and  they  are  in 
great  fear  when  no  fear  is." 

Nor  is  the  depraved  and  corrupt  state  of  the  sin- 
ners mind  less  forcibly  represented  in  the  sacred 
writings,  when  it  is  compared  to  a  cage  of  unclean 
birds. 


RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE.  97 

Nor  is  the  feeble  and  relaxed  state  of  the  moral 
powers  less  forcibly  represented  in  these  words, 
**the  whole  head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  is  faint." 

And,  when  we  consult  the  experience  of  past  ages, 
we  are  but  the  more  confirmed  in  the  truth  of  those 
conclusions,  which  we  have  draAvn  from  reasoning 
on  the  nature  of  the  human  mind.  The  history  of 
mankind  in  all  ages ;  the  whole  series  of  their  trans- 
actions, however  dignified  by  being  recorded  as  the 
intrigues  of  statesmen  or  the  exploits  of  conquerors, 
shews  nothing  more  than  the  efforts  of  this  restless 
and  agitated  state  of  mind  which  we  have  been  de- 
scribing, and  thestruggles  of  jarring  passions  amongst 
unhappy  men. 

But,  the  wretched  state  resulting  from  the  disor- 
ders of  the  passions,  is  but  half  described,  unless 
we  take  into  consideration  the  miseries  which  await 
the  unregenerate  in  a  future  life,  which  will  be 
infinitely  heightened  in  degree  and  endless  in  dura- 
tion. From  this  scene  of  misery,  both  present  and 
future,  Christianity  proposes  to  deliver  us,  and  that, 
too,  in  the  only  way  in  which  we  can  be  delivered ; 
by  restoring  the  rectitude  of  our  nature  and  calming 
the  disorders  of  the  passions. 

How  unreasonable,  then,  to  complain  of  the  very 
means  of  our  recovery ;  whilst  under  the  tyranny  of 
sinful  and  disorderly  passions,  it  is  impossible  we 
should  ever  be  happy.  How,  then,  should  we  wel- 
come religion  as  our  deliverer  from  so  wretched  a 
state  ?  And,  if  we  understood  our  own  best  interests, 
how  cheerfully,  nay,  how  eagerly  should  we  practice 
those  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  which  have  a  tenden- 
cy to  break  the  power  of  those  violent  passions  which 

13 


98  RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

enslave  us  ?  And,  how  would  we  aspire  to  that  state 
of  liberty  in  which  the  Gospel  would  place  us?  And, 
if  through  Divine  Grace  we  ever  attain  to  a  state  of 
Gospel  liberty  from  the  tyranny  of  sinful  passions, 
how  much  pleasure  should  we,  then,  have  in  the 
practice  of  those  very  precepts  which  once  appeared 
so  irksome  and  disagreeable  to  us  ?  How  should  we, 
like  the  Psalmist,  exclaim,  "  Oh !  1  love  thy  law, 
'tis  sweeter  to  my  taste  than  honey  from  the  honey 
comb :"  then  should  we,  like  the  converts  of  old, 
have  joy  and  peace  in  believing.  And  this  leads  to 
the  third  head  of  our  doctrine,  that  Christianity  is 
so  far  from  being  an  enemy  to  any  innocent  enjoy- 
ments, that  it  gives  them  a  higher  relish. 

Chequered  as  the  life  of  man  is  with  good  and  evil ; 
various  and  diversified  as  our  conditions  in  this  world 
are,  there  are  two  states  in  life  which  take  in  all  the 
children  of  men ;  1  mean  those  of  prosperity  and 
adversity,  on  both  of  which  religion  has  the  most 
happy  effects. 

Let  us  compare  the  situation  of  the  righteous  and 
of  the  wicked,  in  these  two  states  of  life,  and  then 
we  will  see  how  the  Christian  triumphs,  whilst  the 
wicked  man  desponds  in  adversity ;  and  in  prosperi- 
ty, we  will  see  how  all  his  enjoyments  are  heighten- 
ed to  the  Christian,  whilst  to  the  ungodly,  prosperi- 
ty has  scarcely  any  real  enjoyments. 

The  power  of  the  great,  the  wisdom  of  the  wise, 
and  the  riches  of  the  wealthy,  have,  in  all  ages,  been 
employed  to  secure  their  state  against  the  approach- 
es of  adversity,  or  to  defend  them  against  its  attacks. 
Power  has  tried  to  keep  it  at  a  distance ;  philoso- 
phy to  conquer  it  by  patience,  and  wealth  to  allevi- 
ate it  by  pleasures. 


RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE.  99 

But,  experience  has  shewn  how  ineffectual  all 
these  precautions  have  been.  Religion  has  not  been 
inattentive  to  this  important  object.  Of  all  the  con- 
siderations which  can  enter  the  mind,  in  the  season 
of  distress,  none  can  have  so  soothing  an  influence 
as  the  belief  of  an  interest  in  the  favour  of  Him  who 
has  the  disposal  of  all  events.  Accordingly,  we  find 
that  Christianity  has  erected  a  pavilion,  a  secret 
place  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  Most  High,  to  which 
her  votaries  are  invited  to  resort  in  tlie  time  of  trou- 
ble; that  the  Almighty  spreads  a  shield  and  a 
buckler  before  them,  to  cover  them  from  the  terror 
by  night,  and  from  the  arrow  that  flyeth  at  noon 
day. 

Every  form  of  religion  has  proposed  to  mankind 
an  interest  in  the  favor  of  Heaven ;  but,  it  was  re- 
served for  Christianity  to  point  out  clearly,  how  tiiat 
was  to  be  obtained  by  a  mediator  and  an  atonement. 
Christianity  prepares  the  mind  for  adversity,  by  in- 
structing us  in  the  nature  of  true  happiness  ;  it  les- 
sens our  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  things  of  this 
world,  by  shewing  us  their  vanity.  But,  here  I  may 
be  asked,  whether  we  are  likely  to  be  made  happier 
by  being  disgusted  with  the  objects  which  surround 
us  ?  My  answer  is,  that  religion  secures  our  hap- 
piness by  pointing  out  sublimer  enjoyments  and  no- 
bler pursuits ;  using  the  things  of  this  world  with 
moderation,  when  they  fall  to  our  lot,  but  never  re- 
pining at  being  deprived  of  them,  knowing  and  re- 
flecting before- hand  on  their  fading  and  transitory 
nature  ;  so  that  when  our  earthly  treasure  fails  us, 
we  have  recourse  to  that  inheritance  which  is  eter- 
nal and  fadeth  not  away,  reserved  for  the  Saints  in 
light. 


100  RELIGION  A  REASONBLE  SERVICE. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  man  who  has  chosen  this 
world  lor  his  inheritance,  has  no  resource  in  the  loss 
of  liis  goods  and  possessions ;  but  falls  a  sure  prey 
to  repining  and  discontent.  The  moral  powers  of 
his  mind  are  so  weakened  and  enfeebled  by  vice, 
that  he  cannot  bear  up  against  the  pressure  of  ad- 
versity ;  but  sinks  under  its  weight,  joining  in  the 
abject  complaint  of  the  man  of  Ephraim,  '^  they  have 
taken  away  my  Gods,  which  1  have  made,  and  what 
have  I  more  ?" 

If  pain  or  sickness  assail  the  Christian,  he  consi- 
ders these  as  the  chastenings  of  his  Heavenly  Fa- 
ther, and  is  so  far  from  fainting  under  the  rod,  that 
he  considers  it  as  a  proof  of  his  adoption,  knowing 
that  whom  a  father  loveth,  he  correcteth,  and  chas- 
teneth  every  son  that  he  receiveth ;  and  with  the 
Apostle,  believing  that "  these  light  afflictions,  which 
are  for  a  moment,  work  out  for  him  a  far  more  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory." 

But,  how  different  are  the  reiiections  and  views 
of  a  wicked  man,  under  the  pressure  of  sickness,  or 
at  the  approach  of  death.  The  gay  illusions  which 
flattered  his  senses  are  now  dissipated  by  the  rays  of 
truth.  The  view  which  he  now  lias  of  his  past  life,  is 
painful ;  that  of  futurity  is  big  with  terror;  and  hope, 
which  could  only  befriend,  is  gone  forever.  Fain 
would  he  now  take  refuge  in  the  sanctuary  of  reli- 
gion, but  that,  alas!  is  shut. 

Where,  O !  where,  then,  for  shelter,  shall  the 
guilty  flee. 

People  in  general  are  ready  enough  to  allow  re- 
ligion the  office  of  a  comforter  in  sickness,  and  ad- 
versity; whilst  they  consider  it  as  an  unwelcome 
guest  in  the  season  of  health  and  prosperity.     But, 


RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE,  101 

a  little  reflection  will  convince  us,  that  as  it  allevi- 
ates the  suflerings  of  one  state,  so  it  heightens  the 
enjoyments  of  the  other. 

The  mere  possession  of  wealth,  or  any  of  the 
gifts  of  fortune,  is  far  from  ensuring  us  the  enjoy- 
ment of  thera.  Solomon  tells  us  of  some  to  whom 
God  had  given  wealth  and  prosperity,  but  had  not 
given  them  an  heart  to  enjoy  them.  As  there  is 
something  in  the  temper  of  our  minds,  which  may 
alleviate  the  ills  of  adversity,  so  there  is,  likewise, 
that  which  may  enhance  the  enjoyment  of  prospe- 
rity. 

Gratitude  to  God  contributes,  in  an  high  degree, 
to  the  enjoyment  of  prosperity.  "  Gratitude  is  a 
pleasing  emotion ;  the  sense  of  being  distinguished 
by  the  kindness  of  another,  gladdens  the  heart,  and 
warms  it  with  a  mutual  aifection.''  We  have  a 
double  relish  for  any  thing,  when  we  consider  it  as 
the  gift  of  a  friend.  How  often  do  we  see  that  single 
circumstance  give  an  immense  value  in  the  minds  of 
many,  to  what  would  otherwise  have  had  little  or 
none  ?  How  much  more  ought  gratitude  to  God  to 
warm  our  hearts,  under  a  sense  of  his  favors,  which 
are  invaluable  in  themselves,  without  this  considera- 
tion ?  If,  to  gratitude  for  the  past,  we  add  a  cheer- 
ing sense  of  God's  favor  for  the  present,  the  emo- 
tion will  still  be  the  more  pleasing.  What  a  ra- 
tional, what  a  sublime  pleasure  it  must  be,  to  be  able, 
on  good  grounds,  to  class  ourselves  in  the  number 
of  those  to  whom  these  words  are  addressed :  "Go 
thy  way,  eat  thy  bread  with  joy,  and  drink  thy 
wine  with  a  merry  heart,  for  God  now  accepteth  thy 
works  ?"     Our  pleasure  is  still  increased,  if,  to  gra- 


102  RELIGION  A  REASONABLE  SERVICE. 

titude  for  the  past,  and  a  sense  of  the  favor  of  Hea- 
ven for  the  present,  we  join  comfortable  hopes  for  the 
future,  and  are  enabled,  with  the  Psalmist,  to  enter- 
tain an  humble  confidence  that  goodness  and  mercy 
will  follow  us  all  our  days,  and  that  we  shall  dwell 
in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever. 

But,  prosperity  is  doubled  and  multiplied  to  us 
without  end,  when  we  make  a  generous  use  of  it. 
Happiness  is  reflected  back  on  us  in  smiles,  from 
the  faces  of  those  whose  hearts  we  have  gladdened ; 
we  then  feel  the  exalted  pleasure  of  doing  good  ;  and 
the  prayers  of  the  widow  and  orphan  ascend  to 
Heaven  in  our  behalf,  and  draw  down  on  us  the 
blessing  of  the  Hearer  of  prayer. 

We  have  a  beautiful  description  of  the  joy  which 
Job  experienced  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity,  by 
relieving  the  wants  of  the  necessitous,  and  dispens- 
ing happiness  around  him.  "  When  the  ear  heard 
me,  it  blessed  me :  when  the  eye  saw  me,  it  gave 
witness  to  me,  because  1  delivered  the  poor  that  cri- 
ed, the  fatherless,  and  him  that  had  none  to  help 
him  ;  the  blessing  of  Him  that  was  ready  to  perish, 
came  upon  me,  and  I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to 
sing  for  joy."  From  this  view  of  the  subject,  it  is 
plain,  that  religion  is  so  far  from  lessening  the  real 
enjoyments  of  life,  that  it  is  impossible  to  have  any 
without  it.  The  wicked,  on  the  other  hand,  are  so 
continually  haunted  with  a  sense  of  guilt,  that  no- 
thing can  aftbrd  them  any  real  enjoyment. 

What,  I  beseech  you,  in  the  pleasures  of  the  ball 
room,  the  card  table,  or  the  theatre,  where  the  intoxi- 
cated senses  are  unfitted  for  the  enjoyments  pre- 
pared for  them,  or  the  temper  is  soured  by  ill  sue- 


RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL.  103 

cess;  what,  in  the  loud  laugh  or  vacant  mind, 
can  compare  with  the  rational  enjoyment  of  the 
Christian,  who  uses  the  world  as  not  abusing  it;  and, 
supported  by  the  goodness  of  God  under  every  af- 
fliction, is  pressing  on  to  an  eternal  inheritance  in 
Heaven? 


^:io 


RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 

^^  But  one  thing  is  needfuV 

Luke,  lOth  chap,  42d  verse. 

In  considering  the  frame  and  constitution  of  hu- 
man nature,  we  find  it  to  be  composed  of  two  parts, 
the  soul  and  the  body.  These  are  of  a  different  na- 
ture, yet  have  a  mutual  influence  on  each  other; 
and  both  of  them  demand  a  careful  attention,  ac- 
cording to  their  various  wants,  and  their  respective 
value.  The  former  is  undoubtedly  the  more  excel- 
lent of  the  two,  and  is,  therefore,  entifled  to  the 
first  and  highest  consideration.  Upon  this  princi- 
ple our  Saviour  Itas  recommended  a  particular  at- 
tention to  religion,  which  he  calls  "  the  one  thing 
needful."  The  particular  occasion  of  his  delivering 
the  words  of  the  text,  was  a  difference  which  he  ob- 
served in  the  conduct  of  Martha  and  her  sister 


104  RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 

Mary  :  whilst  the  latter  "  sat  at  his  feet  and  heard 
his  word,"  the  former  was  **  cumbered  about  much 
serving."  Upon  this,  he  said  to  her,  '<  Martha, 
Martha,  thou  art  careful  and  troubled  about  many 
things  ;  but  one  thing  is  needful." 

From  this  connection  of  the  passage,  it  might 
possibly  be  supposed,  that  there  was  something  cri- 
minal, or  improper,  in  the  conduct  of  Martha,  upon 
this  occasion ;  and  that  this  language  is  an  indirect 
condemnation  of  all  worldly  pursuits.  But,  this 
certainly  cannot  be  a  true  conclusion,  because  it 
would  be  contrary  to  the  general  tenor  of  the  Gos- 
pel. Two  things,  then,  may  rationally  be  conclu- 
ded :  one  of  them  probable  enough ;  the  other,  I 
think,  certain.  One  is,  that  the  great  attention  of 
Martha  to  her  domestic  concerns,  was,  at  this  time, 
unseasonable,  as  it  is  probable,  that  our  Lord  was 
discoursing  to  his  hearers  on  very  important  sub- 
jects, and  such  as  nearly  concerned  both  their  pre- 
sent and  their  future  happiness.  The  other  is,  that 
our  Saviour  only  took  an  opportunity,  from  this  inci- 
dent, to  impress  on  the  minds  of  his  liearers,  the 
superior  importance  and  necessity  of  spiritual  attain- 
ments, representing  them,  by  way  of  eminence,  as 
the  one  thing  needful.  And  then,  the  more  neces- 
sary the  provision  was,  which  Martha  was  making, 
of  the  greater  moment  religion  would  appear,  as  be- 
ing more  needful  than  any  thing  else.  In  the  same 
maimer  of  speaking,  we  call  the  sacred  records  of 
God,  emphatically,  the  Scriptures :  although  all 
other  writings  may  be,  strictly  speakiug,  Scriptures 
also.  In  this  view,  I  shall  now  consider  the  sub- 
ject, as  best  according  with  our  Saviour's  general 


RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL.  105 

instructions.  If,  in  any  instance,  he  appears  to  dis- 
approve of  an  attention  to  our  worldly  interests,  it 
will  be  found  to  be  oiily  where  there  was  an  unrea- 
sonable solicitude  about  them.  When  he  cautions  us 
against  any  great  anxiety  about  what  we  shall  eat 
and  drink  and  wear,  he  does  not  represent  these 
things  as  unlawful  or  unnecessary;  but  informs  us, 
that  such  provision  is  made  for  them,  in  the  course  of 
nature  and  the  providence  of  God,  that  there  is  no 
necessity,  in  the  pursuit  of  them,  to  neglect  the  more 
important  concerns  of  our  souls.  "  Your  Heavenly 
father,"  says  he,  "  knoweth  that  ye  have  need  of 
these  things  ;  but,  seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."  And,  that  we  might  not  distrust 
the  goodness  and  care  of  God,  in  this  respect,  he 
states  a  comparison  between  our  situation  and  that 
of  the  fowls  of  the  air.  The  latter  sow  not,  neither 
carry  into  barns  :  yet,  they  are  provided  for.  How 
much  more,  then,  may  we  be  free  from  any  painful 
apprehensions  of  want,  when  in  the  exercise  of  com- 
mon industry,  we  can  sow,  and  in  due  season  carry 
into  our  barns,  a  sufficient  stock  of  provisions  for  the 
whole  year  ?  These  things  seem  to  be  thus  ordered 
in  the  wisdom  of  God,  that  we  who  have  such  im- 
portant interests  at  stake,  may  not  neglect  them. 

The  condition  in  which  we  are  placed  in  this 
world,  seems  to  represent  an  attention  to  religion 
emphatically  as  the  one  thing  needful.  Indeed, 
were  we  always  to  continue  here,  as  our  only  place 
of  residence,  the  cultivation  of  our  minds  by  the  prin- 
ciples of  piety  and  virtue,  would  be  essentially  neces- 
sary to  our  own  peace  and  comfort,  as  well  as  to  that 

14 


106  RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL, 

of  the  world  at  large.  He  who,  in  that  case,  should 
turn  his  attention  entirely  to  the  amassing  of  earthly 
treasures,  would  forego  the  best  and  noblest  enjoy- 
ments of  which  a  rational  mind  is  capable.  How 
much  more,  then,  is  this  the  case,  when  we  consider 
that  we  are  but  sojourners  here,  and  that  we  are 
travelling  to  another  country?  It  is  not  from  the 
Avord  of  God  only,  but  by  the  desires  of  nature,  the 
dictates  of  reason,  and  the  properties  of  the  mind, 
we  are  informed  that  we  are  all  candidates  for  eter- 
nity. We  know  to  a  certainty,  that  there  is  no  con- 
tinuing here  in  any  one  stay  :  the  things  of  the  world 
are  in  the  most  constant  fluctuation,  and  man  lives 
but  a  few  years  to  be  pleased  with  the  enjoyment  of 
them,  or  engaged  in  their  pursuit.  At  the  same  time, 
the  high  powers  of  reason  which  we  possess ;  our 
great  desire  of  knowledge,  and  our  progressive  ad- 
vances in  it;  the  aspirations  of  the  soul  after  higher 
attainments,  and  the  imperfect  state  to  which  at  best 
we  can  arrive  here,  are  very  plain  indications,  that 
we  are  now  only  laying  the  foundations  for  another 
life,  which  must  be  happy  or  otherwise,  according 
to  the  improvement  which  we  shall  have  made  of 
this.  Every  thing  teaches  us,  that  in  this  world  we 
are  but  in  a  state  of  probation,  and,  that  our  princi- 
pal business  and  our  most  important  interest  is  to 
prepare  ourselves  for  that  whicli  is  to  come.  It  is 
impossible  that  the  next  life  should  be  happy,  if 
the  present  have  not  been  virtuous.  As  we  sow,  so 
we  must  reap.  The  success  of  tlie  harvest  depends 
on  the  putting  in  of  the  seed  ;  and,  the  blossoms  of 
the  spring  arc  a  necessary  prelude  to  the  fruits  of 
autumn.     When  we  sec  men  eagerly  engaged  in  the 


RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL.  107 

pursuit  of  earthly  treasures,  at  a  time  of  life  which 
seems  to  be  the  best  calculated  for  mirth  and  enter- 
tainment, we  cannot  but  think  the  preference  e;iveu 
to  labour  before  pleasure  to  be  judicious  and  right, 
when  we  are  told  that  it  is  with  a  view  to  the  pro- 
viding of  a  comfortable  and  secure  retreat  for  the 
wants  and  infirmities  of  advanced  years. 

On  the  other  hand,  an  idle  and  dissipated  youth 
is  generally  considered  as  the  very  probable,  if  not 
certain  fore-runner  of  a  reproaciiful  and  indigent 
old  age.  This  life,  then,  is  to  be  viewed  as  the 
youth,  (I  was  going  to  say,)  but  certainly  as  the  pre- 
lude only,  to  that  eternal  existence  which  awaits 
us  hereafter.  '^Vha  one  thing  needful,  then,  in  the 
present  life,  is  to  secure  the  happiness  of  the  next. 
To  urge  tlie  necessity  of  care  and  attention  to  the 
necessary  concerns  of  the  present  life,  in  order  to 
justify  or  palliate  the  neglect  of  religion,  is  to  invent 
a  frivolous  and  unreasonable  excuse  against  our  own 
interest.  It  is  to  separate  two  tilings,  which  the  will 
of  God,  and  the  very  condition  of  our  nature,  have 
joined  togetiier,  and  which  are  perfectly  consistent. 
It  is  very  evident,  from  the  general  tenor  of  the  Gos- 
pel, as  indeed  from  the  very  nature  of  the  thing,  that 
religion  does  not  forbid,  but  injoin  a  due  attention 
to  the  affairs  of  this  world  ;  and  that  it  does  not  mar, 
but  rather  has  a  tendency  to  insure  the  success  of 
any  lawful  calling.  These  things,  then,  we  ought 
to  do ;  but,  surely,  not  to  leave  the  other  undone. 
In  other  matters,  we  reason  more  correctly,  if  two 
objects  cannot  both  be  obtained  at  once,  we  are  sel- 
dom at  a  loss  in  our  conclusion,  to  resign  that  which 
is  of  the  least  importance.      It  is  not  very  common 


108         RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL. 

to  see  men  much  engaged  in  religion ;  but  when  it 
does  iiappen,  how  often  do  we  bear  the  neglect  of 
their  worldly  matters  charged  to  their  account?  It 
is  very  possible  to  be  too  remiss,  and  to  neglect  our 
duty  in  this  respect ;  but  certainly  we  must  be  greater 
losers,  when,  by  an  eager  and  unremitted  pursuit  of 
earthly  treasures,  we  neglect  the  more  important 
concerns  of  our  souls  and  forfeit  every  hope  of  salva- 
tion. If,  then,  it  were  so,  that  we  could  not  gain  this 
world,  and  that  which  is  to  come,  it  would  yet  be 
much  the  wiser  choice  to  make  our  calling  and  elec- 
tion sure.  The  superior  importance  of  the  soul 
would  fully  justify  the  above  conclusion,  if  it  were 
even  true  that  religion  was  that  solitary,  and  for  the 
present,  comfortless  possession,  which  so  many  seem 
to  think  it  is.  If  it  imposed  the  necessity  of  resign- 
ing every  thing  else,  it  would  still  be  the  pearl  of 
great  price,  the  one  thing  needful,  inasmuch  as  it 
alone  could  procure  our  future  and  eternal  happi- 
ness :  but,  it  is  saying  much  more  in  its  favor,  if  it 
may  with  propriety  be  added,  that  it  looks  with  a 
benign  aspect  on  all  our  worldly  pursuits,  and  con- 
tributes very  much  to  the  enjoyment  of  all  that  we 
possess.  As  it  teaches  and  inculcates  the  duties  of 
justice,  temperance,  labor  and  frugality,  it  seems  to 
point  out  the  straightest  road  to  wealtli  and  prefer- 
ment. While  the  hand  of  the  diligent  has  a  ten- 
dency to  make  rich,  religion  directs  to  more  ex- 
alted objects,  and  presents  to  the  good  man's  view, 
a  more  excellent  inheritance.  A  sense  of  the  Divine 
presence  dignifies  his  mind :  the  experience  of  Di- 
vine goodness  fills  him  with  gratitude :  a  dependence 
on  Divine  providence  supports  his  hopes,  and  dis- 


RELIGION  THE  ONE  THING  NEEDFUL.  109 

pels,  or  rather  prevents,  any  apprehensions  of  being 
deserted  in  future.  David  certainly  considered  all 
needful  blessings  as  included  in  his  charter,  both  for 
time  and  eternity,  when  he  expressed  himself  in  one 
of  his  Psalms,  in  the  following  words  :  "  The  Lord 
is  my  Shepherd;  1  shall  not  want.  He  maketh  me 
to  lie  down  in  green  pastures  :  he  leadeth  me  beside 
the  still  waters,  lea,  though  I  walk  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  yet  will  I  fear  no 
evil ;  for,  thou  art  with  me :  thy  rod  and  thy  staff, 
they  comfort  me.  Thou  preparest  a  table  be- 
fore me  in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies ;  thou 
anointest  my  head  with  oil;  my  cup  runneth  over. 
Surely,  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the 
days  of  my  life,  and  1  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 
Lord  forever." 

Surely  a  sense  of  the  favour  of  God ;  the  experi- 
ence of  past  goodness,  and  a  confidence  in  its  con- 
tinuance, cannot  fail  to  enhance  the  value,  and  in- 
crease the  relish  of  every  present  comfort.  It  se- 
cures from  the  restlessness  of  fierce,  and  from  the 
anguish  of  distp pointed  ambition  ;  for,  it  makes  the 
rich  man  humble.  It  prevents  the  forebodings  of 
adversity,  and  renders  him  far  superior  to  fruitless 
murmurs  and  complaints ;  it  makes  the  poor  man 
thankful ;  it  enlivens  the  pleasures  and  alleviates  the 
burdens  of  every  situation  in  life ;  it  cheers  our 
abode  upon  earth ;  it  softens  the  bed  of  death ;  it 
gives  us  a  passport  to  Heaven.  If,  then,  we  would 
secure  the  happiness  of  the  present  life ;  if,  as  we 
often  hear,  we  would  strew  the  way  over  with  flow- 
ers, we  must  engage  in  its  pursuits  with  moderation, 


110  ON    ANGER. 

and  season  its  enjoyments  with  religion  ;  while  this 
course  is  recommended  by  the  superior  motive,  that 
it  leads  to  everlasting  happiness. 


ON  ANGER. 

"  The  discretion  of  a  man  deferreth  Ms  anger,  and 
it  is  his  glory  to  jJuss  over  a  transgression,^' 

Proverbs,  19th  chap.  1st  verse. 

The  experience  of  almost  every  man  will,  no 
doubt,  have  evinced  the  error  and  inconvenience  of 
a  hasty  spirit.  Anger  and  passion  are  ever  evil 
counsellors.  Often  perverting,  and  always  aggra- 
vating the  truth,  (if  1  may  so  speak,)  they  urge  men 
on  to  unreasonable  and  excessive  resentments,  which 
often  prove  ruinous  to  others,  beyond  the  power  of 
remedy,  and  to  themselves,  the  inexhaustible  source 
of  the  most  painful  sensations.  Incompetent  judges 
of  the  measure  of  injury  received,  and  over-looking 
the  rational  means  of  redress,  their  effects  are  sel- 
dom such  as  escape  the  censure  of  regret  and  of  cool 
reflection.  Hence,  it  is  the  part  of  discretion  in  a 
man,  to  defer  his  anger.  '^  Anger"  is  said  to  "  rest 
in  the  bosom  of  fools ;"  but,  he  that  is  wise,  will  by 


ON    ANGER.  Ill 

all  means  endeavour  to  suppress  its  emotions ;  will 
listen  with  caution  and  distrust  to  its  suggestions, 
and  will,  at  any  rate,  defer  the  execution  of  its 
plans. 

To  enumerate  some  of  its  baneful  effects,  and  pro- 
pose some  considerations  which  may  have  a  tenden- 
cy to  overcome  it,  are  the  objects  which  I  have  in 
view  at  present.  Perhaps  it  is  proper,  first  to  ob- 
serve, that  anger,  in  a  certain  degree,  is  not  con- 
sidered criminal.  God  himself  is  represented  in 
Scripture  as  being  angry  :  and  this  direction  isgi>en 
even  to  us,  "i5e  ye  angry  and  sin  not.^'  By  this 
we  are  to  understand,  probably,  the  marked  displea- 
sure with  which  God  beholds  iniquity,  and  which 
it  ought  also  to  excite  in  us.  But,  the  sense  in  which 
1  am  now  to  consider  it,  and  in  which  1  suppose  it 
is  intended  in  the  text,  is  the  same  that  we  general- 
ly understand  by  quick  resentments,  or  hasty  pas- 
sions. 

1.  If  it  were  attended  with  no  other  effect  than 
the  perturbation  and  distraction  of  mind  which  it 
occasions,  it  would,  in  this  view,  demand  our  seri- 
ous attention.  If  it  be  true  that  the  countenance  is 
an  index  of  the  mind,  which  is  pretty  generally  the 
case,  we  may  be  assured,  that  he  is  in  a  state  of 
wildness,  disorder  and  uneasiness,  in  whom  anger  is 
permitted  to  bear  the  sway.  The  representation  of 
the  furies,  in  Heathen  Mythology,  must  have  been 
taken,  one  would  imagine,  from  the  countenance  of 
a  choleric  man.  lleason  and  judgment  are  dethron- 
ed, the  reins  are  thrown  upon  the  neck  of  passion, 
and  the  man  is  caiTicd  away  into  every  absurdity 
and  extravagance  through  its  resistless  impetuosity. 


112  ON    ANGER. 

It  gives  no  time  for  reflection ;  it  lias  no  prudence 
as  its  guide.  It  discards  the  ties  of  nature  :  it  is  an 
out-law  against  the  rules  of  politeness  :  it  violently 
outrages  the  laws  of  society.  The  rational  charac- 
ter is  degraded  and  the  judgment  is  impaired  by  the 
dominion  of  passionate  anger,  which  is  emphatical- 
ly said  in  the  book  of  Proverbs,  to  be  outrageous. 
It  distorts  all  the  features  of  the  face,  and  gives  to 
the  eye  a  terrible  aspect.  It  is  justly  said  of  anger, 
that  it  is  a  transient  madness.  He  that  is  under  its 
influence  is  not  at  his  own  command,  but  at  the  mer- 
cy of  every  blind  and  violent  impulse.  A  man  in 
the  heat  of  passion,  is  not  open  to  the  conviction  of 
truth,  except  it  be  only  to  increase  his  rage.  Hence, 
he  is  deaf  to  the  remonstrances  of  reason ;  and  in 
debate,  he  answers  argument  with  invectives.  When 
his  anger  is  once  kindled,  he  is  no  longer  master  of 
himself,  but  unhappily  is  made  a  wretched  slave  to 
his  irascible  temper. 

This  grow  ing  upon  him  by  every  indulgence,  soon 
ac(piires  an  absolute  controul,  and  sets  every  rea- 
sonable consideration  at  defiance.  It  is  often  not  to 
be  soothed  even  by  concession ;  but  yields  only  to 
the  fatigues  of  nature,  when  its  victim  sinks  down 
into  an  unhappy  debility  both  of  body  and  mind. 
It  resembles  the  fury  of  an  angry  tempest,  which  is 
not  to  be  appeased  but  by  being  exhausted. 

2.  Again,  the  feuds  and  animosities  which  fre- 
quently obtain  amongst  neighbors  and  friends ;  and 
all  their  mischievous  effects,  originate  for  the  most 
part,  from  hasty  and  uncontroled  anger.  It  magni- 
fies every  trivial  ofi'ence,  and  precludes,  at  the  same 
time,  all  reasonable  accommodation.     There  is  a 


ON  ANGER.  113 

sympathy  in  human  nature  in  almost  every  instance. 
A  soft  answer  turneth  away  Avrath ;  but  hasty  re- 
sentments commonly  provoke  the  same.  Hence, 
while  violence  and  passion  exaggerate  every  trifling 
offence,  or  perhaps,  create  them  where  none  were 
intended,  they  impart  the  same  spirit  also  to  the 
real  or  supposed  aggressor,  and  prevent  such  con- 
cessions as  his  faults  might  demand,  or  reason  would 
accept.  Hence  are  men  liurried  on  to  extremities 
at  once,  without  prudence  or  discretion.  To  this 
cause,  almost  all  the  petty  strifes  and  quarrels  which 
obtain  amongst  men,  owe  their  original.  Hence  fre- 
quently wars  arise  amongst  nations  ;  and  hence,  the 
boastful  sons  of  courage  take  the  field  for  single  com- 
bat. They  call  it  honor;  but,  if  you  examine  it 
narrowly,  and  trace  it  to  its  source,  you  will  find  it 
to  proceed  from  the  impetuosity  and  madness  of  a 
quick  and  inflammable  temper.  If  you  enquire  why 
the  doughty  champions  are  equipped  with  the  im- 
plements of  death  and  thirst  for  each  other's  blood, 
you  will  find,  perhaps,  that  but  the  day  before  they 
were  cordial  friends,  and  that  the  unhappy  differ- 
ence arose  from  some  unguarded,  or  misconstrued 
expression,  or  from  some  innocent  jocularity,  over 
the  intoxicating  bowl.  Did  they  take  time  to  re- 
flect, or  defer  their  anger  for  a  moment,  all  would 
be  well.  But,  intoxicated  at  once  with  the  liquor 
and  with  rage;  taking  fire  at  the  phantom  of  an 
heated  imagination ;  too  blind  to  distinguish,  too  im- 
patient to  deliberate,  and  too  hasty  to  admit  of  de- 
fence or  palliation,  they  provoke  each  other  to  the 
last  extremity,  from  which  their  honor,  as  they  ima- 
gine, forbids  them  to  recede.      The  last  conclusioa 

15 


114  ON  ANGER. 

is  neither  judicious  nor  rational,  but  it  leads  me  to 
observe,  how  often  it  happens,  that  men  under  the 
influence  of  passion,  will  utter  reproaches,  or  com- 
mit acts  of  violence,  which  are  not  to  be  remedied  or 
atoned  for  through  tlie  whole  course  of  their  lives. 
Many  a  friend  has  been  estranged  forever  by  a  has- 
ty, intemperate  and  groundless  invective.  A  neigh- 
bour, in  a  gust  of  passion,  will  destroy  both  the  life 
of  his  neighbor  and  the  support  and  happiness  of  his 
family.  A  choleric  master  will  often  maim  or  slay  a 
servant  by  an  unlucky  blow;  and  by  the  same  means, 
a  parent,  through  the  instigation  of  passion,  will 
destroy  the  intellects  of  an  innocent  and  promising 
child.  Indeed,  when  anger  is  indulged  without  dis- 
cretion or  control,  no  man  can  tell  where  it  will  end, 
or  what  tragical  events  will  not  ensue.  He  cannot 
say  to  the  raging  tide,  thus  far  shalt  thou  go  and  no 
farther.  The  consequences  with  which  it  is  often 
attended,  are  such  as  is  not  in  our  power  to  redress 
as  long  as  wc  live.  We  may  feel,  indeed,  the  most 
lively  regret,  and  profess  or  experience  a  great  deal 
of  sorrow,  but  all  our  compunctions  will  be  insuffi- 
cient to  dry  up  the  sorrows  of  the  widow  or  orphan, 
or  restore  to  life  a  deceased  friend,  whom  our  vio- 
lence has  brought  low.  We  may  wish  we  had  de- 
ferred our  anger,  and  be  convinced  that  it  would 
have  been  our  glory  to  pass  over  a  transgression, 
but  tills  is  all  too  late,  after  we  have  vented  our  pas- 
sion in  fury  and  destruction. 

No  serious  person  can  reflect  on  the  growing 
practice  of  duelling,  but  with  sincere  regret.  It  is 
a  sad  mark  of  the  prevalence  of  infidelity  in  the  ri- 
sing generation,  who  seem  unhappily  to  discard  the 


ON    ANGEB.  115 

influence  of  religion,  disown  its  authority,  and  re- 
move the  fear  of  God  from  before  their  eyes.  At  the 
same  time,  it  is  one  of  those  vices  which  almost 
every  body  condemns,  yet  it  is  one  which  almost 
nobody  has  the  magnanimity  to  discountenance  by 
his  own  example.  Surely  no  man  has  a  right  to 
dispose,  as  he  pleases,  of  the  life  which  God  has 
given  him  ;  and  his  command  is,  ^'  Thou  shalt  not 
kill.'-  The  laws  of  civil  society,  too,  forbid  a  man 
to  be  his  own  avenger.  But,  then,  the  Avorld  will 
call  you  coward,  if  you  refuse  to  give  or  to  accept  a 
challenge ;  and,  as  long  as  you  are  in  the  world,  you 
must  conform  to  the  laws  of  honor.  Indeed  !  And 
is  it  come  to  this,  that  a  decree  of  Heaven's  High 
Chancery  is  to  be  reversed  by  an  appeal  to  your 
petty  court  of  honor ! !  O !  thoughtless,  desperate 
young  man.  You  are  not  afraid  of  oifending  God, 
but  you  are  afraid  of  incurring  the  displeasure,  or 
exciting  the  ridicule  of  a  fantastic,  sinful  world.  I 
pray  you,  can  your  court  protect  you  against  the 
sentence  of  that  High  Tribunal,  at  which  you  must 
at  last  appear,  and  against  the  vengeance  of  the  Al- 
mighty, which  ^^  burns  hotter  than  an  oven.^' 

It  is  at  best,  a  serious,  solemn  thing  to  die ;  but, 
surely  it  must  be  the  height  of  madness,  guilt  and 
desperation,  to  rush  into  the  presence  of  your  Great 
Judge,  with  your  guilty  hands  reeking  with  your 
own  blood,  by  an  act,  the  very  perpetration  of  which, 
might  preclude  all  possibility  of  repentance. 

In  every  point  of  view,  this  practice  is  wholly  un- 
justifiable and  inexcusable  in  the  young.  But,  when 
an  amiable  man,  advanced  in  years,  falls  unhappily 
a  victim  to  this  wretched  point  of  honor,  who  can 


116  ON    ANGER. 

sufficiently  reprobate  it,  or  bewail  its  consequences? 
An  instance  of  this  kind  lately  occurred  in  Hanover, 
where  you  may,  indeed,  behold  a  house  of  mourn- 
ing. Go  now,  then,  ye  honorable  men ;  go,  view 
the  melancholy  feat  your  valour  has  achieved.  Go, 
feast  on  carnage.  Go,  enjoy  the  pleasure;  nay, 
revel  in  the  luxury  of  beholding  the  widow  whose 
husband  you  have  slain,  at  once  frantic  and  dumb 
with  grief,  and  a  large  number  of  unoffending  chil- 
dren, sons  and  daughters,  in  a  moment  rendered 
fatherless,  by  one  hasty,  wicked,  cruel,  irrevocable 
deed.  If  this  be  honor,  "  0.'  my  soul,  come  not 
thou  into  the  secret.^^ 

But,  what  is  to  be  said  of  these  subordinate  cham- 
pions who  are  called  seconds  ?  The  law  of  the  land, 
I  believe,  considers  them  equally  guilty  with  their 
principals,  and  has  ordained  for  them  the  same  ig- 
nominious punishments  ;  yet,  all  things  considered, 
they  appear,  in  reality,  to  be  far  the  most  culpable. 
A  second  has  no  offence  to  complain  of;  no  irrita- 
tion to  plead  in  his  excuse :  and,  on  this  account, 
he  may,  probably,  be  pronounced  more  a  murderer 
than  the  principal  himself.  But,  I  must  return  from 
this  digression. 

3.  Another  certain  effect  of  intemperate  anger,  is 
the  self-condemnation  and  regret  with  which  it  is 
always  succeeded.  Like  all  other  vices,  it  leaves  a 
sting  behind  it.  When  the  violent  agitation  of  mind 
subsides,  and  calm  reflection  takes  place,  we  recol- 
lect what  has  passed  with  the  most  uneasy  sensa- 
tions. We  review  with  mortification  and  abhor- 
rence, the  spectacle  we  exhibited  while  under  the 
dominion  of  passion.     We  are  sensible  that  we  have 


ON    ANGEK.  117 

degraded  the  rational  character ;  that  we  have  ex- 
posed ourselves  to  the  pity  of  our  friends,  the  scoffs 
of  our  enemies,  and  the  contempt  of  the  wise  and 
temperate.  We  recollect  the  wildness  of  our  looks, 
and  the  childish  extravagance  of  our  words  and  ac- 
tions. When  in  the  moment  of  cool  reflection,  we 
consider  the  cause  of  all  this  disorder,  we  find  the 
offence  which  the  heat  of  passion  had  magnified  so 
much,  is  dwindled  into  a  very  trifle ;  or,  perhaps 
there  was  none  at  all,  but  what  was  occasioned  by 
our  own  mistakes.  Yet,  we  are  mortified  to  find 
that  we  suffered  ourselves  to  be  transported  with 
rage ;  and,  very  probably,  to  our  utter  confusion 
that  we  have  vented  it  indiscriminately,  on  friend 
and  foe  ;  on  the  offending  and  inoffensive ;  on  the 
innocent  and  guilty.  We  have  traduced  the  cha- 
racter and  estranged  the  affections  of  a  steadfast 
friend,  by  hasty  insinuations  which  anger  suggested, 
and  at  the  same  time  discredited.  We  have  wound- 
ed the  feelings,  or  abused  the  person  of  a  faithful 
servant,  who  had  been  guilty  of  no  wilful  offence, 
who  had  toiled  for  us  many  years,  and  was  grown 
grey  in  our  service.  And  what  was  the  offence  ? 
Why,  perhaps  no  other  than  the  natural  slowness 
or  decrepitude  of  advanced  years.  We  forgot  the 
respect  and  denied  the  indulgence  which  are  due  to 
age ;  and  were  lost  to  every  sense  of  gratitude  for 
the  fidelity  and  services  of  youthful  days.  In  our 
families  we  have  acted  the  tyrant,  and  have  made 
our  helpless  and  unoffending  children  feel  the  fierce- 
ness of  our  anger.  It  is  a  painful  task  which  is  de- 
volved on  parents,  to  inflict  the  rod  upon  their  chil- 
dren, when  reason  and  duty  make  it  necessary. — 


118  ON    ANGER. 

What,  then,  must  be  the  sensations  of  a  man,  when, 
after  a  fit  of  rage,  he  casts  his  eye  upon  a  dutiful  and 
affectionate  child,  smarting  under  the  undeserved  or 
excessive  correction  of  an  angry  father?  In  short, 
we  are  obliged  to  condemn  almost  every  thing  we 
said  and  every  thing  we  did.  All  that  we  can  say 
is,  we  hope  to  be  forgiven,  because  we  were  in  a 
passion  ;  when,  if  the  plea  were  admitted,  we  could 
not  forgive  our  own  folly  and  madness.  Thus  is 
the  choleric  man  successively  at  variance,  at  first 
with  others,  and  at  last  with  himself. 

II.  I  come  now  to  offer  some  considerations  that 
may  assist  us  in  our  endeavours  to  correct  this  dan- 
gerous evil. 

1.  The  cultivation  of  humility  is  specially  calcu- 
lated to  effect  this  purpose.  We  are  extremely  prone 
to  entertain  a  fond  and  partial  opinion  of  ourselves, 
and  to  look  for  such  indications  of  respect  and  obei- 
sance as  we  may  consider  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
it  from  others.  Hence,  we  are  vulnerable  from  every 
quarter.  Our  sensibility  is  tender  to  the  smallest 
indignity,  and  the  least  neglect  is  tortured  into  an 
indirect  affront.  Every  instance  of  this  kind,  is  ag- 
gravated far  beyond  the  demerifc  of  the  thing  itself, 
by  the  high  sense  we  entertain  of  our  own  impor- 
tance. Humility,  on  the  other  hand,  is  slow  to 
anger ;  it  is  modest  and  unassuming.  If  overlook- 
ed by  others,  it  is  not  discomposed,  because  it  ex- 
acts nothing  from  them.  It  is  contented  with  a  lit- 
tle, aid  is  not  suspicious.  And,  as  it  is  least  affect- 
ed by  neglect  or  injury,  so  it  is,  also,  our  surest  de- 
fence against  both. 


ON    ANGER.  119 

All  seem  rather  concerned  to  honor,  than  reproach ; 
to  exalt,  than  depress  the  meek  and  lowly  man. — 
They  say  to  him  in  their  hearts,  "  Friend,  come  up 
higher  J'  It,  is,  therefore,  an  excellent  advice  which 
is  given  us  in  Scripture,  not  to  be  high-minded,  nor 
to  think  more  highly  of  ourselves  than  we  ought  to 
think. 

2.  It  will  also  prove  a  security  against  the  sallies 
of  intemperate  anger,  to  accustom  ourselves  to  medi- 
tate frequently  on  its  dangerous  tendency  and  its  ex- 
treme inutility.  It  is  generally  productive  of  the 
most  serious  evils ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  it  an- 
swers no  good  purpose  whatever.  It  does  not  in- 
crease, but  diminish  the  dignity  of  our  character : 
it  does  not  increase,  but  diminish  the  weight  of  our 
authority.  If  any  purpose  is  to  be  accomplished  ; 
if  differences  are  to  be  accommodated,  or  redress  ob- 
tained, to  be  calm  and  temperate,  promises  the  most 
certain  and  complete  success.  Outrageous  anger, 
on  the  other  hand,  is  sure  to  defeat  its  own  intentions, 
and  makes  matters  infinitely  worse  than  they  were 
before.  At  the  same  time,  it  exposes  us  to  the  ridi- 
cule and  contempt  of  the  world.  When  a  man  has 
once  established  his  character  as  peevish  and  pas- 
sionate, he  meets  with  a  thousand  wanton  provoca- 
tions from  others,  who  practise  upon  his  temper  for 
their  own  amusement.  They  will  "use  him  for 
their  mirth,  yea,  for  their  laughter,  when  he  is  was- 
pish." On  the  other  hand,  a  command  of  temper, 
which  is  more  or  less  in  every  person's  pow  er,  adds 
a  dignity  to  his  character,  and  procures  very  general 
esteem. 


120  ON  ANGEU. 

3.  It  will  contribute  much  to  the  acquiring  of  a 
dominion  over  passion,  to  fix  a  resolution  that  we 
will  not  be  under  its  control.  If,  on  former  occa- 
sions, we  have  been  in  a  ferment  of  temper,  we  no 
doubt  have  recollected  afterwards  many  extravagan- 
ces both  in  words  and  actions  which  we  must  can- 
didly condemn.  It  is  the  part  of  a  sensible  and  pru- 
dent man  to  determine  in  future  to  be  more  upon  his 
guard.  Nor  is  it  so  difficult  a  matter  as  some  would 
imagine.  Experience  in  many  instances  has  evin- 
ced, that  the  most  hasty  and  refractory  temper  will 
yield  to  resolute  and  steady  discipline.  By  the  mere 
aid  of  philosophy,  men  who  w  ere  naturally  quick 
and  vehement,  have,  by  habit  and  restraint,  acquired 
such  an  evenness  of  mind,  that  their  natural  temper 
has  not  been  known  but  by  their  own  confession. 
To  say  we  cannot  help  it,  is  to  invent  an  excuse  to 
encourage  and  defend  it.  Men  who  have  habituated 
themselves  to  swearing  profanely,  have  often  said 
the  same;  yet,  we  know  that  many,  from  a  conside- 
ration of  its  folly  and  wickedness,  in  their  cooler 
moments,  have  desisted  from  it  entu*ely.  With  re- 
spect to  passion,  we  know  that  we  can  restrain  it,  in 
the  company  of  those  whose  good  opinion  we  count 
upon  having  obtained,  and  would  wish  to  preserve. 
This  shows,  then,  that  it  is  not  invincible,  but  that 
it  yields  to  the  umpire  of  reason  and  good  sense. 
By  a  little  discipline  and  fortitude,  we  may  become 
in  private  what  we  would  appear  in  public ;  for,  by 
these,  the  most  refractory  spirit  will  become  tame 
and  manageable.  It  is  most  certain,  that  the  more 
we  indulge  or  excuse  our  anger,  the  more  it  will  in- 


ON  ANGER.  121 

crease  upon  us.  It  grows  the  more  outrageous  the 
oftener  it  is  kindled,  and  upon  every  fresh  occasion, 
it  will  be  the  more  easily  excited.  Let  us  only  in- 
dulge it  a  little,  and  it  will  soon  bring  us  to  that 
pass,  that  we  shall  fume  and  fret  at  every  trifle. — 
In  this  view,  it  may  be  compared  to  tinder,  which 
is  the  more  inflammable,  for  having  once  been  burnt. 
If,  then,  when  anger  begins  to  rise,  we  fix  a  resolu- 
tion to  suppress  it,  we  shall  find,  to  our  satisfaction, 
that  the  work  is  already  more  than  half  accomplish- 
ed. And,  indeed,  it  is  so  troublesome  and  torment- 
ing, that  it  is  worth  a  little  pains  to  overcome  it. 

4.  It  will  be  of  singular  benefit,  also,  to  reflect  on 
the  infirmities  of  human  nature,  and  especially  to 
entertain  a  due  sense  of  our  own.  Many  things  that 
we  call  oflFences  proceed  oftener  from  the  weakness 
of  others,  than  from  any  malevolent  design.  How 
often  do  we  offer  it  as  an  apology  for  our  own  in- 
discretions, that  we  meant  no  harm?  Ought  we  not 
then,  in  all  reason  and  justice,  to  extend  to  others 
the  same  indulgence  that  we  claim  to  ourselves? — 
But,  the  passionate  and  angry  man  sees  no  imper- 
fections in  himself.  He  is  always  in  the  right,  and 
his  wrath  often  rises  to  a  most  excessive  degree  from 
this  very  mistaken  notion;  when,  at  the  same  time, 
perhaps,  he  is  the  greatest  aggressor.  My  brethren, 
are  any  of  us  without  our  faults  ?  Do  we  never  do 
any  thing  that  appears  unfriendly?  Do  we  never  say 
any  thing  that  seems  disrespectful?  Do  we  never 
act  amiss  through  mere  ignorance  or  inattention? 
And  this  may  often  be  the  case  with  others.  The 
thing  which  we  resent  with  violence  and  outrage, 
may  have  been  said  or  done  without  the  least  iuten- 

16 


122  ON  ANGER. 

tion  to  injure  or  offend  us.  Surely,  if  we  would 
but  consider  our  own  numberless  imperfections,  we 
would  not  let  our  anger  burn  so  fiercely  against  the 
failings  of  our  neighl)ors  and  friends. 

5.  1  shall  propose  one  other  consideration,  and 
then  conclude.  It  is  to  fix  our  eyes  upon  those  ex- 
amples of  patience  and  moderation  which  others 
have  exhibited.  Amidst  all  the  infirmities  of  man, 
we  now  and  then  find  some,  whose  calm  and  steady 
temper  we  cannot  but  admire.  They  have  been 
falsely  accused,  or  received  much  reproachful  and 
abusive  language;  yet,  they  bore  it  with  great 
coolness  ;  they  vindicated  their  innocence  with 
great  firmness,  but  with  great  coolness ;  they  did 
not  suffer  their  temper  to  be  ruffled,  nor  one  in- 
decent expression  to  escape  their  lips.  Such  cha- 
racters rise  high  in  our  esteem.  We  say  they 
acted  much  better  than  we  should  have  done. — 
We  wish  we  had  the  same  command  of  our  pas- 
sions. Well,  they  very  probably  acquired  the  com- 
mand of  their's  by  the  very  considerations  which  I 
have  been  suggesting.  And  it  is  not  impracticable. 
With  a  little  pains  and  prudence,  we  might  do  the 
same.  But,  above  all,  let  professing  Christians  turn 
their  eyes  to  that  great  pattern  of  all  excellence,  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  has  left  an  example  after 
which  we  should  follow.  His  temper  was  tried  by 
the  most  frequent  provocations,  the  most  repeated 
disappointments,  the  most  flagrant  injuries,  and  the 
most  severe  distress  ;  yet,  with  what  patience  did  he 
endure  the  contradictions  of  sinners  ?  He  returned 
not  evil  for  evil,  nor  railing  for  railing.  When  he 
was  reviled,  he  reviled  not  again.      With  such  a 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  123 

bright  example,  then,  before  our  eyes,  let  us  all  en- 
deavor to  learn  of  him,  for  he  was  meek  and  lowly. 
Let  us  implore  tiie  assistance  of  his  grace,  so  need- 
ful for  us  in  all  cases,  that  we  may  be  enabled,  also, 
to  defer  our  anger  and  account  it  our  glory  to  pass 
over  transsrression. 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE. 

*^  Therefore,   all  things  whatsoever  ye  would  that 
men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them.'' 

Matthew,  7th  chap.  I2th  verse- 

Although  it  is  most  evidently  the  duty  of  every 
rational  creature  to  yield  an  obedience  to  the  com- 
mandments of  his  Creator,  yet,  it  is  hard  to  say,  from 
the  nature  of  the  commandments  themselves,  wheth- 
er a  compliance  with,  and  a  strict  observance  of 
them,  is  more  his  duty  or  his  interest.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  many  defects  which  men  pretend  to  have  dis- 
covered in  the  revelation  of  God,  this  at  least  appears 
to  be  one  recommendation  of  it,  that  no  man  can  ob- 
serve its  precepts  without,  at  the  same  time^  promot- 
ing his  own  advantage.  If  it  be  entirely  reasonable, 
that  the  Glory  of  God,  the  Creator  of  all  things, 
should  be  advanced,  it  is  surely  a  happy  considera- 
tion that  the  performance  of  this  duty  should  not 
only  be  altogether  consistent  with,  but  directly  condu- 
cive to,  the  happiness  of  his  creatures.  On  this  ground 


124  THE  GOSPEL  RULE. 

alone  independently  of  the  promises  of  future  re- 
ward to  the  obedient,  it  is  expressly  declared,  that 
the  seed  of  Jacob  shall  not  seek  God's  face  in  vain, 
and  that  no  man  shall  serve  the  Lord  for  nought. 
And  the  Psalmist  must  have  been  impressed  with 
this  sentiment,  when  he  declared,  "Great  peace 
have  they  that  love  thy  law,  and  in  keeping  thy 
commandments  there  is  great  reward."  In  this, 
most  certainly  he  had  in  view,  not  barely  or  chiefly 
the  happiness  which  a  religious  life  conducts  to  here- 
after, but  the  pleasure  and  advantage  with  which  it 
is  at  present  accompanied  :  not  only  for,  but  "  in 
keeping  thy  commandments,  there  is  great  reward." 
If  this  be  true  in  any  instance,  it  seems  to  be  most 
obviously  so  with  respect  to  the  precept  which  is 
contained  in  our  text.  Or,  if  the  commandments  of 
God  were,  in  all  other  instances,  grievous,  yet  this 
must  be  acknowledged  to  be  an  exception :  '^  All 
things  whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 
you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them." 

To  point  out  the  excellency  of  this  rule,  and  to 
recommend  it  to  our  practice,  are  the  objects  at  which 
I  shall  aim  in  the  progress  of  this  discourse.  With 
this  view,  1  shall  consider  it  first,  with  regard 
to  its  qualities ;  and,  secondly,  with  regard  to  its 
effects. 

In  inquiring,  then,  of  what  kind  is  this  rule  ? 
We  observe,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  is  of  such  a 
nature  as  to  establish  a  connexion  between  the  ob- 
ligation of  a  man's  duty  and  the  promotion  of  his 
happiness.  It  seems  to  take  advantage  of  that  sel- 
fishness of  principle  which  often  prevails  too  far, 
and  makes  it  one's  interest  to  do  tliat  which  is  right. 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  125 

It  produces  a  happy  reciprocity  of  good  oflBces  be- 
tween maa  and  man,  and  engages  each  in  the  ser- 
vice of  all  the  rest,  though  his  views  should  be  con- 
fined and  his  endeavours  directed  to  his  own  advan- 
tage. It  places  a  man  in  the  situation  of  his  neigh- 
bour, and  obliges  him  to  do  good,  from  the  hope  and 
expectation  of  receiving  it.  It  enforces  the  obliga- 
tion and  procures  the  discharge  of  all  the  duties  of 
justice,  benevolence  and  mercy,  by  establishing  a 
claim  upon  a  like  return.  For  the  same  reason, 
and  in  conformity  to  the  same  principle,  it  forbids 
and  prevents  the,  commission  of  what  is  hurtful  or 
unfriendly,  inasmuch  as  a  man  would  not  wish  that 
himself  should  be  surrounded  by  enemies,  or  over- 
reached by  fraud.  At  the  same  time  that  it  marks 
the  duty  and  coincides  with  the  inclinations  of  the 
conscientious  man,  it  disarms  the  hand  of  violence, 
and  arrests  the  designs  of  injustice.  It  not  only 
stays  the  execution  of  both,  but  converts  them  by 
maturer  reflection,  into  the  opposite  virtues. 

Another  quality  that  this  rule  possesses,  is  the 
most  amiable  simplicity.  This  quality  renders  it 
the  more  agreeable,  and  at  the  same  time,  the  more 
useful ;  the  more  agreeable  by  corresponding  with 
the  true  elegance  of  taste,  and  the  more  useful,  by 
prescribing,  with  plainness  and  accuracy,  the  path 
of  duty.  It  is  sometimes  objected  against  Divine 
Revelation,  that  it  abounds  in  masteries.  If  it  be 
so,  which  I  pretend  not  to  deny,  it  is  only  in  things 
which  we  are  obliged  to  believe ;  but,  in  no  instance 
in  those  which  we  are  required  to  perform. 

In  the  science  of  theology,  there  are  some  things 
mysterious,  but,  in  the  practical  parts  of  it,  there  is 


126  THE  GOSPEL,  RULE. 

no  obscurity.  The  path  of  duty  is  plain  and  straight, 
and  tlie  language  of  Scripture  is,  "  This  is  the  way, 
walk  ye  in  it."  If  this  be  true  of  the  precepts  of  the 
Gospel  in  general,  it  is  especially  so  of  our  text  in 
particular.  The  rule  is  drawn  in  characters  so  per- 
spicuous, that  he  who  runs  may  read  it.  Its  sim- 
plicity is  attractive  to  the  most  reiined  genius,  and 
its  import  obvious  to  the  most  humble  capacity.  It 
is  equally  intelligible  to  the  most  improved  and  the 
most  illiterate.  Or,  instead  of  saying  it  may  be  un- 
derstood, we  may  rather  say,  that  it  cannot  be  other- 
wise. It  is  neither  involved  in  the  mysteries  of  sci- 
ence, nor  perplexed  by  the  terms  of  art :  but,  being 
intended  for  direction  to  all,  it  is  so  simple  in  its 
style,  and  so  plain  in  its  construction,  that  no  man 
can  possibly  misinterpret  its  meaning,  mistake  its 
application,  or  evade  its  force.  Its  plainness  con- 
tributes very  much  to  its  utility,  while  the  benefit  of 
it  is  the  more  readily  acquired  and  the  more  exten- 
sively diffused  by  its  great  simplicity. 

3.  Another  quality  that  enters  into  the  character 
of  this  rule  is,  that  it  is  always  invariable  in  its  ap- 
plication. I  mean  by  this,  that  as  it  is  not  to  be  mis- 
taken in  its  meaning,  so  neither  can  it  be  perverted 
in  its  use.  With  respect  to  many  other  of  the  Di- 
vine precepts,  an  attempt  is  often  made  to  wrest  their 
meaning  or  elude  their  force,  not  because  they  are 
themselves  obscure,  but  in  order  to  procure  an  in- 
dulgence for  men's  favourite  vices,  or  to  palliate, 
perhaps  to  justify  too  great  an  attachment  to  their 
worldly  interest.  How  often  does  it  happen,  that 
the  prohibition  of  one  evil,  has  been  improved  by  the 
ingenuity  of  men,  into  a  sanction  for  another,  or  at 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  127 

least  into  an  excuse  for  it  ?  Under  pretence,  for  in- 
stance, of  avoiding  covetousness,  we  indulge  our- 
selves in  the  opposite  extreme  of  profusion  and 
waste.  On  the  other  hand,  the  lawfulness  of  riches, 
and  the  injunction  to  provide  "  things  honest  in  the 
sight  of  all  men,"  have  been  made  to  countenance 
an  inordinate  desire  of  worldly  acquisitions,  and  an 
unbecoming,  or  unlawful  eagerness  in  their  pursuit. 
Under  love  of  charity  for  our  neighbour,  we  indulge 
our  own  licentiousness  of  principles,  and  under  pre- 
tence of  being  just,  we  become  unmerciful,  rigorous 
and  oppressive  to  the  necessitous  and  poor :  and, 
as  this  is  frequently  the  case,  with  the  duties  of  our 
relative  situation  to  one  another,  the  same  measure 
is  also  dealt  out  to  those  which  have  respect  imme- 
diately to  God. 

<<  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind,"  is  the  first  and  great  command.  It  is  rea- 
sonable in  itself,  and  every  one  understands  it; 
yet,  this  is  made  to  warrant  the  exercise  of  cru- 
elty and  hatred  to  our  fellow-men,  whom  we  are 
pleased  to  consider  as  his  foes.  The  Apostle 
Paul  himself  once  thought,  he  did  God  service 
by  persecuting  his  Saints.  There  is  nothing  more 
rational  and  commendable  than  a  becoming  zeal  for 
religion ;  yet,  under  pretence  of  this,  more  blood 
has  been  shed  in  the  world,  and  more  cruelties  com- 
mitted, than  on  any  other  account  whatever.  It 
fares  not  thus  with  the  rule  in  question  :  its  design 
is  to  regulate  and  enforce  the  moral  obligations  of 
man  to  man,  and  is  in  no  case  liable  to  abuse  or 
misapplication.     That  partiality  for  one's-self,  and 


128  THE  GOSPEL  RULE. 

that  regard  to  private  interest,  which  make  a  person 
pervert  or  violate  most  others  of  the  commands  of 
God,  hecome  parties  in  the  cause  of  this,  and  join 
in  enforcins;  its  observance.  If,  therefore,  it  were 
but  attended  to,  it  would  make  a  man  honest,  out 
of  very  knavery,  (if  I  may  use  the  ex[)ression,)  al- 
lowing him  to  be  destitute  of  any  better  prin»  iple. 
4.  Another  quality  of  this  rule,  which  presents 
itself  to  our  view,  is  this,  that  there  is  in  it  the  ut- 
Biost  conciseness,  with  the  utmost  fulness.  1  join 
these  two  together,  because  neither  of  them  would 
be  very  remarkable,  without  the  concurrence  of  the 
other.  It  would  be  no  great  recommendation  of  it, 
if  shortness  were  counterbalanced  by  obscurity,  or 
fulness  by  prolixity.  But,  it  is  one  of  its  excellencies, 
that  it  is  short  without  any  deficiency,  and  replete 
with  instruction  without  any  redundance.  There 
is  nothing  in  it  that  is  not  necessary,  and  nothing 
omitted  that  would  have  been  an  improvement.  It 
is  itself  a  compendium  of  the  whole  system  of  mor- 
als, and  a  complete  and  perfect  rule  of  conduct  in 
every  situation.  It  is  so  general  as  to  comprehend 
all  cases,  and  yet  so  special  as  to  apply,  particular- 
ly, to  each.  It  is  a  general  rule  without  exception, 
and  a  special  rule  without  restriction.  It  is  so  ex- 
cellent, as  to  attract  universal  admiration,  and  yet 
so  obviously  just,  that  any  man  would  almost  sup- 
pose he  could  himself  have  laid  it  down.  Yet,  the 
wisest  of  men  and  the  greatest  philosophers  were 
not  able  to  discover  it.  Their  systems  of  ethicks 
consisted,  partly  of  worldly  maxims,  and  partly  of 
abstruse  and  metaphysical  reasonings.  And,  hence 
it  has  happened,  that  some  of  them  have  been  them- 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  129 

Selves  unjust,  and  some  of  them  to  common  capaci- 
ties wholly  unintelligible.  Some  of  them  indeed 
have  reflected  honor  upon  their  authors  for  their  jus- 
tice and  equity ;  but  yet  they  have  been  exceptiona- 
ble in  this,  that  they  have  been  so  exclusively 
adapted,  and  so  much  rfcstricted  to  particular  cases, 
as  not  to  be  calculated  for  cominon  use.  Men  have 
been  as  much  at  a  loss  to  find  out  the  application  of 
the  rule,  as  they  would  have  been  to  act  without 
any  rule  at  all.  But  it  is  truly  said  of  our  blessed 
Saviour,  that  "  he  spake  as  never  man  spake.  He 
spake  as  one  having  authority."  There  is  more 
contained  in  this  short,  this  plain,  this  golden  rule  of 
the  great  teacher,  than  in  all  the  volumes  that  the 
world  contains.  In  comparison  of  this,  the  philo- 
sophy of  the  world  is  foolishness.  In  these  few 
words,  "  as  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do 
ye  even  so  to  them,"  he  may  with  propriety  be  said 
to  enlighten  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world. 
It  is  a  great  recommendation  of  useful  books,  that 
^hey  are  easy  of  acquisition,  and  that  they  are  por- 
table. What  then  must  be  said  of  this  short  and 
comprehensive  rule,  when  it  is  considered,  that  he 
who  has  the  Gospel,  or  who  retains  in  memory  the 
12th  verse  of  the  7th  chap,  of  Matthew,  carries  with 
him  a  complete  and  perfect  rule  to  guide  and  direct 
the  conduct  of  man  to  man  in  every  circumstance, 
and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  ?  So  various  are  the 
connexions,  and  so  multiplied  the  demands,  and  so 
different  are  the  situations  of  men  in  society,  that  to 
ascertain  the  rule  of  duty  for  every  particular  case, 
if  this  were  possible,  would  be  to  fill  the  world  with 
books  :  and  indeed  the  whole  world  would  not  con- 

17 


130  THE  GOSPEL  RULE. 

tain  them.  But  this  short  comprehensive  rule  is  iii 
the  place  of  a  thousand  volumes.  It  makes  a  man 
at  once  a  master  of  the  subject ;  it  acquaints  him  ful- 
ly with  the  rule  of  his  duty,  because  it  places  him- 
self in  the  very  situation  to  which  it  is  to  be  applied. 

5.  I  shall  mention  but  o/ie  otlier  property  which 
this  rule  possesses,  and  that  is,  that  it  is  unlimited  in 
its  extent,  and  universal  in  its  operation.  There  is  no 
instance  in  the  course  of  life  to  which  it  is  not  ap- 
plicable, and  in  which  it  does  not  administer  instruc- 
tion. It  embraces  all  cases  that  occur,  all  contin- 
gencies that  may  happen,  and  all  relations  that  sub- 
sist between  man  and  man.  It  clearly  defines  the 
duties  of  superiors,  equals,  and  inferiors  :  I  mean 
superiors  on  account  of  public  oflBce,  and  inferiors 
in  consequence  of  accidental  distinctions.  It  teach- 
es the  duties  and  enforces  the  obligations  of  rich  and 
poor,  white  and  black,  neighbours  and  aliens,  friends 
and  foes,  those  who  are  appointed  to  rule,  and  those 
■who  appoint  them. 

1  am  aware,  that  some  have  thought  they  descried 
an  exception  to  the  rule,  in  attempting  the  applica- 
tion of  it  to  the  civil  magistrate.  This  is  in  the 
case  of  pronouncing  sentence  against  a  criminal : 
and  it  is  stated,  that  as  the  magistrate  would  not 
wish  to  die  himself,  he  would  be  bound  up  by  this 
rule  from  passing  sentence  of  death  upon  another. 
Many  things  might  be  said  in  answer  to  tbis ;  but 
suffice  it  to  say,  that  in  all  such  cases,  he  acts  in  an 
official,  and  not  in  his  individual  capacity.  The 
objection  contemplates  the  magistrate,  not  the  man, 
and  it  is  to  the  latter  only  that  the  rule  is  intended  to 
apply.    To  the  latter,  under  all  the  badges  of  office, 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  13l 

this  rule  will  vstill  find  access.  It  will  teach  him  to  for- 
bear all  unnecessary  severties,  to  extend  every  law- 
ful indulgence,  and  from  the  heart  to  pity  the  situa- 
tion of  the  unhappy  criminal,  whom  the  duties  of 
his  office  oblige  him  to  condemn.  If  in  any  instance 
he  delights  in  cruelty,  and  takes  pleasure  in  inflict- 
ing the  penalties  of  the  law,  and  in  beholding  the 
suflPerings  of  the  condemned,  in  such  instance  he 
acts  the  man  ;  in  such,  he  violates  the  rule  ;  in  such, 
he  wounds  the  common  feelings,  and  offers  a  re- 
proach to  the  general  character  of  human  nature. 
In  all  ordinary  cases,  independently  on  the  obli- 
gations of  official  character,  it  teaches  a  man  to  do 
justice  and  to  love  mercy ;  to  hold  the  balance  even 
between  man  and  man  ;  to  redress  the  wrongs  of  the 
aggrieved,  and  extend  protection  to  the  helpless,  be- 
cause he  would  expect  and  wish  the  same  good  of- 
fices for  himself,  in  a  like  situation.  To  relations 
which  bear  some  resemblance  to  this,  1  mean  those 
of  masters  and  servants,  the  same  application  is  to 
be  made.  I  have  mentioned  the  case  of  inferiors, 
in  consequence  of  accidental  distinctions  :  this  will 
be  considered  as  one  of  those,  or  at  least  it  will  serve 
to  explain  our  meaning,  when  it  is  remembered,  that 
whilst  somej  in  one  country,  are  appointed  to  rule, 
men  of  the  same  description,  in  others,  will  be  doom- 
ed to  obey.  It  has  been  often  known,  that  a  Prince 
in  Africa,  by  unexpected  and  unavoidable  events, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  has  found  his  situation 
reversed  in  America.  What,  then,  is  the  measure 
of  their  respective  duties  ?  The  rule  in  question  ful- 
ly and  pointedly  decides  it.  Do  to  others  as  you 
would  have  them  do  to  you.     Let  the  master  put 


132  THE  GOSPEL  RULE. 

himself,  for  a  moment,  in  the  room  of  the  servant, 
and  substitute  another  in  his  own,  and  he  will  at 
once  see,  and  must  acknowledge  the  demands  upon 
himself,  of  justice,  humanity,  benevolence  and  mer- 
cy. And,  vice  versa,  on  the  other  hand,  the  ser- 
vant will  be  taught  the  indispensable  obligations  of 
obedience  and  fidelity.  It  might  be  easily  demon- 
strated, that  the  rule  in  question  extends  its  appli- 
cation to  all  the  relations  of  men  to  each  other,  either 
in  a  state  of  nature,  or  of  civilized  society :  to  the 
former,  it  supplies  the  place  of  laws ;  and,  to  the 
latter,  it  is  the  unerring  rule  of  their  construction, 
and  ought  to  be  the  invariable  principle  on  which 
they  are  enacted  ;  but,  what  has  been  said,  must 
suffice  upon  this  head. 

We  will  briefly  consider  the  effects  with  which 
the  observance  of  this  rule  would  be  attended.  1 
think  1  am  not  mistaken,  when  1  affirm,  that  if  this 
simple  rule  were  attended  to,  wars  would  cease 
amongst  nations,  and  strifes  and  contentions  amongst 
men.  That  hypocrisy,  intrigue  and  fraud,  which 
are  generally  called  the  policy  of  nations,  would, 
ha[)pily  for  the  world,  become  entirely  useless,  and 
give  way  to  justice  and  fair  dealing.  That  servile 
phraseology  would  soon  become  obsolete,  which  re- 
presents a  nation  as  superior  in  wisdom,  merely  be- 
cause they  excel  in  dissimulation  and  knavery.  But, 
truth,  justiceandgood  faith  would  universally  prevail. 
The  policy  of  nations  would  be,  in  all  cases,  to  deal 
out  such  measure  as  they  would  wish  to  receive.  The 
strong  would  nc*  more  plunder  and  oppress  the  weak: 
deception  and  falsehood  would  not  be  practised  up- 
on the  credulous  :  craft  would  find  no  employment 


THE  GOSPEL  RULE.  133 

in  over-reaching  the  honest;  nor  would  the  most 
powerful  fleets  and  armies  be  construed  into  a  right 
to  tramjde  under  foot,  all  the  rights  of  humanity. 
Such  would  be  the  effect  of  this  rule  upon  nations ; 
for,  nations  bear  to  each  other,  the  relation  of  moral 
persons.  And,  how  happy  would  it  be,  for  every 
community,  and  every  individual  in  it,  if  the  rights 
of  men  were  respected,  as  our  Saviour  requires  ?  In- 
juries of  every  kind  would  be  avoided ;  or,  if  un- 
wittily  committed,  would  be  speedily  repaired,  and 
men  would  dwell  together  in  peace  and  harmony. 
Friends  would  be  more  closely  cemented  by  the 
continual  interchange  of  good  offices  :  and  enemies 
would  be  speedily  and  thoroughly  reconciled,  by 
being  at  least  rendered  just  and  placable  to  each 
other.  Every  instance  that  would  occur  of  reliev- 
ing each  other's  Ox  from  the  ditch,  (to  use  the  lan- 
guas;e  of  Scripture,)  would  be  like  coals  of  fire 
on  their  heads,  to  disarm  their  resentments  and  melt 
them  to  terms  of  reconciliation  and  amity. 


134   LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED. 

COMMON  LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS 
AND  WICKED. 

*^All  things  come  alike  to  all:  there  is  one  event  to 
the  TnghteouSf  and  to  the  wicked  ;  to  the  good  and 
to  the  clean,  and  to  the  unclean  ;  to  him  that  sacri- 
ficethf  and  to  him  that  sacrijiceth  not :  as  is  the 
good,  so  is  the  sinner  ;  and  he  that  sweareth,  as  he 
thatfeareth  an  oath.^' 

EccIesiasUes,  9th  chap.  2d  verse 

There  is  something,  at  first  sight,  unpromising  in 
the  aspect  of  this  subject,  and  a  superficial  view  of 
it,  has  been  the  source  of  great  mistakes.  The  in- 
discriminate lot  which  falls  into  the  lap  of  good 
men  and  of  bad,  has  been  thought  to  bear  hard  on 
the  justice  of  God,  and  to  destroy  the  connexion 
which  Reason  seems  to  have  established  betwixt 
guilt  and  punishment,  and  virtue  and  reward.  If 
all  thinsis  happen  alike  to  all ;  if  there  is  no  differ- 
ence ;  if  there  be  one  event  to  the  righteous  and  the 
wicked,  what  odds  does  it  make,  to  which  of  these 
descriptions  we  belong?  What  profit  do  we  re- 
ceive from  the  service  of  God  ?  What  loss  do  we 
sustain  from  the  practice  of  sin,  if  virtue  meets  with 
cold  neglect,  and  vice  is  permitted  to  pass  with  im- 
punity ?  Nay,  every  instance  in  which  we  see  the 
righteous  dejected  and  the  wicked  prospering,  which 
is  no  uncommon  spectacle,  seems  to  be  giving  the 
latter  every  advantage,  and  to  deprive  the  former  of 


LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND    WICKED.         135 

all  encouragement.  Such  is  the  appearance  which 
it  wears,  and  such,  indeed,  has  been  the  effect  of  it 
in  every  age  of  the  world. 

The  wicked  have  been  hardened  in  their  sins  by 
the  forbearance  of  God,  and  turned  his  goodness 
into  licentiousness.  They  say,  exultingly  ''God 
careth  not  for  it."  Experience  hath  abundantly 
vindicated  the  observation  of  the  Prophet,  *'  Because 
judgment  against  an  evil  work  is  not  speedily  exe- 
cuted, the  heart  of  man  is  set  in  him  to  do  evil  con- 
tinually." And  this  has  not  only  been  a  cause  of 
vaunting  to  such  as  had  thrown  off'  the  fear  of  God. 
It  has  been  the  subject  of  complaint  also  to  men  of 
piety  and  virtue.  "  Righteous  art  thou  0  !  Lord," 
says  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,  **  when  I  plead  with 
thee :  yet,  let  me  talk  with  thee  of  thy  judgments  * 
Wherefore  doth  the  way  of  the  wicked  prosper? 
Wherefore  are  "all  they  happy  that  deal  very 
treacherously  ?" 

This  also  seems  to  have  been  the  frequent  subject 
of  the  Psalmist's  meditations,  and  he  speaks  of  it  in 
the  most  plaintive  strains.  In  the  73d  Psalm,  he 
delineates  the  character  of  the  wicked,  and  describes 
their  lot.  '*  They  are  not  in  trouble,"  says  he,  "as 
other  men,  neither  are  they  plagued  like  other  men. 
Therefore  pride  compasseth  them  about  as  a  chain, 
violence  covereth  them  as  a  garment.  They  have 
more  than  heart  could  wish.  They  set  their  mouth 
against  the  Heavens,  and  their  tongue  walketh 
through  the  earth.  And  they  say  how  doth  God 
know ?  And  is  there  knowledge  in  the  most  High  ?" 
Such  is  the  character  which  he  gives  them.  It  is  an 
unfavourable  one,  indeed,  and  does  not  seem  to  merit 


136    LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED. 

many  tokens  of  favour  from  God.     But  in  tbe  next 
verse  the  Psalmist  says,  "  Behold  these  are  the  un- 
godly who  prosper  in  the  world ;  they  increase  in 
riches.     "  Verily,"  says  he,  "  I  have  cleansed  my 
heart  in  vain,  and  washed  my  hands  in  innocency : 
For  all  the  day  lonij;  have  I  been  plagued  and  chas- 
tened every  morning."     Laying  aside  the  peevish- 
ness which  the  Psalmist  discovered  on  the  occasion ; 
this   seems  to  be  a  natural  conclusion.     But  if  we 
attend  him  a  little  further,  we  will  find  the  whole 
mystery    unravelled    in    a    satisfactory   manner. — 
^*  When  I  thought  to  know  this,"  says  he,  "  it  was 
too  painful  to  me.    Until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of 
God  ;  then   understood  1  their  end.     Surely  thou 
didst  sit  them  in  slippery  places ;  thou  casledest  them 
down   into   destruction."     For  the  support  of  this 
truth,  I  am  not  now  concerned.     But  bearing  in 
mind,  that  if  it  be  ill  with  the  righteous  on  earth, 
it  will  not  always   be  the  case ;  and  if  it  be  well 
with  the  wicked,  it  will  not  be  so  long ;  let  us  en- 
deavour to  account  for  the  mixed  state  of  good  and 
evil  in  the  human  lot.     This  is  the  immediate  ob- 
ject of  the  present  discourse,  which  1  shall  endea- 
vour to  pursue,  not  as  a  matter  of  speculation,  but 
from  a  desire  of  vindicating  the  ways  of  God  to 
men,  and  of  administering  some  satisfaction  to  such 
of  his  people  as  may  have  been  tempted  by  the  pre- 
sent situation  of  affairs  to  doubt  his  tenderness  and. 
regard  for  them.     In  entering  upon  tiiis  enquiry,  it 
is  proper  to  premise,  that  evils  of  every  kind  which 
we  are  called  to  endure,  are  the  effects  of  sin.     We 
are  informed  "  that  at  first  the  generations  of  the  earth 
were  healthful,  and  there  waS  no  poison  of  destruc- 


LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED.         137 

tion  in  tliem."     Sin,  therefore,  was  tlie  inlet  to  every 
other  evil.     Justice  would  require  that  perfect  ia- 
nocence  should  be  exempted  from  suffering,  but  our 
iniquities  have  made  it  necessary  that  we  should 
be  visited  with  the  rod.     It  should  therefore  recon- 
cile the  children  of  God  to  their  keenest  affliction, 
if  affliction   be  their  lot :  it  should  hush  their  com- 
plaints, and  silence  every  murmur,  to  reflect  that 
if  they  are  sufferers,  they  are  still  greater  sinners. 
"Whoever  will  seriously  consider  how  much  he  has 
offended,  will  rather  wonder  how  little  he  lias  suf- 
fered, than  complain  how  much ;  and  be  obliged  to 
acknowledge  that  his  punishment  is  far  less  than  his 
iniquities  have  deserved.     Are  any  under  the  pres- 
sure of  calamity,  ready  to  conclude  that  God  has 
for2;ottea  them  in  their  affliction  ?     Let  them  call  to 
mind   how  often  in  their  prosperity,  they  have  for- 
gotten him.     In  him  they  live,  and  move,  and  have 
their  being ;  from  him  they  derive  all  the  mercies 
which  they  enjoy,  and  every  hope  they  entertain ; 
and  he  has  never  been  so  unmindful  of  them,  but 
that  he    has  protected    them   by  his  good  provi- 
dence, and  upheld  them  by  his  pow  er,  yet  under  all 
these  circumstances,  they  have  forgotten  the  God 
that  made  them,  and  rendered  an  ungrateful  return 
for  all  the  bounties  of  his  providence,  and  the  rich- 
er blessings  of  his  grace.     Tiie  children  of  God, 
then,  upon  this  supposition,  have  no  reason  to  com- 
plain, when  they  reflect  that  judgment  without  mix- 
ture had  been  entirely  just,  and  that  all  the  com- 
forts they  enjoy  in  life,  are  of  free  and  unmerited 
grace.     I  do  not  offer  these  remarks,  however,  as  a 
solution  of  the  difficulty  which  arises  from  the  in- 

18 


138        LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND   WICKED. 

discriminate  lot  of  righteous  and  wicked  men.  I 
am  sensible  that  they  do  not  fully  answer  this  pur- 
pose ;  yet  they  are  not  altogether  inapplicable,  as 
they  are  of  force,  I  think,  to  obviate  any  objection 
that  might  be  made  on  account  of  those  calamities, 
in  which  pious  men  are  frequently  involved. 

The  question  still  recurs,  if  the  evils  of  life  be 
the  effect  of  sin,  why  do  the  wicked  escape  them, 
whilst  they  overwhelm  the  righteous  ?  If  those  who 
fear  God,  and  are  the  objects  of  his  love,  feel  the 
correction  of  his  rod,  on  account  of  their  remaining 
corruptions,  and  their  frequent  miscarriages;  why  are 
not  those  more  severely  punished  who  are  destitute  of 
the  many  virtues  which  the  Saints  possess  ?  AVhy, 
in  short,  do  the  former  suffer,  and  the  latter  pros- 
per ?  These  questions  seem  to  involve  the  merits  of 
the  case,  as  it  has  been  generally  stated.  It  is  to 
be  observed,  however,  that  it  requires  some  limita- 
tion. It  does  not  always  happen  that  good  men 
are  punished  with  poverty  or  drowned  in  sorrow, 
whilst  those  of  the  contrary  character  abound  in 
riches,  or  exult  in  joy.  This  is  by  no  means  so 
universally  the  case,  that  we  can  distinguish  the 
former  by  his  sufferings,  and  the  latter  by  his  suc- 
cess. The  heart  of  the  good  man  sometimes  sings 
for  joy,  and  the  most  successful  sinner  has  his  sea- 
sons of  outward  adversity,  and  inward  anguish. 
But  this  is  frequently,  perhaps  generally  reversed. 
We  often  see  innocence  in  distress,  and  guilt  tri- 
umphing. We  often  see  the  good  man  persecuted 
even  for  his  religion,  and  the  wicked  crowned  with 
success  by  the  practice  of  vices,  which  seem  to  call 
for  vengeance  both  from  God  and  man. 


LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED.  139 

Let  US  then  join  issue  upon  this  case,  and  en- 
deavour as  concisely  as  possible,  to  account  for  the 
one  and  the  other  of  the  circumstances  which  com- 
pose it. 

In  the  first  place,  we  would  remark,  that  it  is  e\i- 
dently  not  the  intention  of  providence  that  this  world 
should  be  a  place  of  rewards  and  punishments.  It 
is  a  state  of  trial,  in  which  we  are  to  be  tr.iiued  up 
by  the  practice  of  Godliness  and  the  exercise  of  pa- 
tience, to  inherit  the  promises  of  future  glory.  In 
this  point  of  view,  an  indiscriminate  lot  to  good  aud 
bad,  recommends  itself  as  highly  proper.  V\'ere 
God  continually  to  interpose  in  behalf  of  his  chil- 
dren, he  would  leave  but  little  room  for  confidence 
in  his  promises,  or  submission  to  iiis  will.  When 
I  say  this,  it  goes  on  the  presumption  that  there  is 
to  be  a  future  state  of  retribution,  and  that  this 
world  is  but  preparatory  to  the  ucxt.  It  is  the 
character  of  the  Christian,  that  he  walks  by  faith 
and  not  by  sight.  It  is  in  this  view,  that  1  said,  on 
the  supposition  just  mentioned,  that  there  would  be 
no  room  for  confidence  in  the  promises  of  God  ;  for, 
as  the  Apostle  has  expressed  it,  what  a  man  seeih, 
why  does  he  yet  hope  for  ? 

There  are  certain  duties  in  religion,  to  be  per- 
formed in  this  life,  and  progress  to  be  made  in  Ho- 
liness, in  order  to  our  being  made  meet  for  the  in- 
heritance of  the  Saints  in  light.  The  servants  of 
God,  then,  are  not  to  expect  their  reward  until  their 
work  is  done;  and,  for  the  same  reason,  it  does  not 
seem  reasonable,  that  the  wicked  should  be  pun- 
ished till  after  sufficient  trial.  But,  were  God,  on 
all  occasions,  to  interpose  by  rewards  and  punish- 


140    LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED. 

meats,  there  would  seem  to  be  less  virtue  in  adher- 
ing to  duty  or  refraining  from  vice.  A  mercenary 
disposition  might  lead  us  to  the  one,  and  servile 
fear  deter  us  from  the  other.  Besides,  such  a  dis- 
pensation would  have  a  tendency  to  obscure  the 
view  and  weaken  the  expectation  of  a  future  state. 
Did  we  see  men  here,  treated  in  every  instance  ac- 
cording to  their  deserts,  it  would  seem  to  supersede 
the  necessity  of  a  final  judgment,  and  lead  us  to  con- 
clude, that  there  was  nothing  better  to  be  expected, 
or  worse  to  be  dreaded  after  the  present  life  ;  where- 
as, the  present  allotment,  in  this  respect,  is  a  direct 
implication  of  the  one  and  the  other:  it  holds  out 
sufficient  encouragement  to  the  practice  of  religion, 
and  a  sufficient  caution  against  the  danger  of  sin. 

In  connexion  with  this,  let  me  observe,  in  the  next 
place,  that  as  we  are  candidates  for  another  world; 
so  the  dispensations  of  God's  providence,  have  a 
special  regard  to  the  progress  of  sanctification  in  our 
hearts,  and  our  reformation  from,  and  repentance  of 
sin.  This,  I  trust,  will  fully  account  for  the  afflic- 
tions of  his  children,  and  his  forbearance  towards 
the  wicked  and  profane. 

If  the  Christians  were  in  this  life  perfect  in  Holi- 
ness ;  if  they  were  free  from  infirmities ;  if  tliey 
were  proof  against  the  power  of  temptation  and  the 
contagion  of  example,  then  there  would  be  no  occa- 
sion lor  the  trials  which  they  are  called  to  endure, 
nor,  indeed,  for  any  other  mean  of  grace  which  tliey 
are  enjoined  to  use.  Both  Scripture  and  experi- 
ence evince,  that  this  is  not  the  case.  "  If  any  man," 
says  our  Lord,  *•  say  he  has  no  sin,  he  deceiveth 
himself,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him."     There  are 


LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND   WICKED.         141 

remainders  of  sin  with  which  they  must  contend ; 
they  have  many  corruptions  that  must  be  mortifiedj 
and  often  much  pride  that  must  be  humbled.  Even 
his  children  arc  prone  to  forget  God,  and  in  the  ful- 
ness of  their  prosperity  to  depart  from  his  statutes. 
To  correct  these  errors  and  promote  the  growth  of 
Christian  virtues,  God  has  ordained  various  means 
of  grace  ;  but,  those  which  fall  under  present  con- 
sideration, are  the  corrections  which  he  admin- 
isters in  tlie  course  of  his  providence.  No  judicious 
Christian  will  be  surprised,  that  1  have  ranked  these 
amongst  the  means  of  grace,  when  it  is  considered 
how  great  is  their  influence  in  weaning  our  affec- 
tions from  this  present  world,  and  producing  the 
virtues  of  patience  and  humility,  of  dutiful  resigna- 
tion to  the  will  of  God,  and  even  of  thankfulness 
for  the  corrections  of  his  rod.  We  know  from  ex- 
perience and  common  observation,  that  it  is  much 
easier  to  bear  affliction  with  patience,  than  uninter- 
rupted prosperity  with  due  moderation  and  humili- 
ty. The  promises  of  the  (xospel  afford  support  in 
adversity,  which  this  in  its  turn  disposes  us  to  lay 
hold  of,  whilst  prosperity  undermines  the  founda- 
tions of  virtue,  weakens  the  sense  of  obligation  and 
our  own  insufficiency,  and  often  produces  the  lofty 
look  which  goes  before  a  fall.  1  said,  also,  that 
afflictions  produce  the  acceptable  offering  of  a  thank- 
ful heart.  This,  I  apprehend,  will  appear  to  have 
sufficient  foundation,  when  it  is  considered,  that  the 
people  of  God  shall  have  the  sanctified  use  of  afflic- 
tions, and  that  they  will  not  be  continued  longer 
than  tiiey  have  answered  their  end.  As  recovery 
from  sickness  convinces  us  of  the  value  of  health;  so 


142        LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED. 

the  people  of  God  have  ever  been  found  more  thank- 
ful for  deliverance  from  calamities  of  whatever  kiud, 
than  they  would  have  been  for  a  total  exemption 
from  them. 

They  are,  therefore,  greatly  mistaken,  who  sup- 
pose, from  the  unpromising  aspect  of  affairs,  that 
God  has  forgotten  his  people ;  or,  tliat  the  afflic- 
tions of  his  providence  are  marks  of  his  displeasure. 
Admitting  what  has  been  said,  they  are  really  to- 
kens of  his  love  and  blessings  in  disguise  ;  they  are 
promised  as  blessings  and  prove  so  in  the  end. 
"  Whom  the  Lord  loveth,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  he 
chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  e^ery  son  whom  he  re- 
ceiveth." 

Does  not  the  tender  father  correct  his  child,  that 
he  may  save  him  from  ruin,  and  divert  him  from  the 
pursuit  of  dangerous  and  destructive  courses  ?  And, 
is  this  an  evidence  of  his  neglect  or  hatred  ?  Does 
this  prove  that  he  has  no  regard  for  him  ?  Does  it 
prove  that  he  is  destitute  of  paternal  affection  ?  Or, 
is  it  a  mark  of  his  ill  will  ?  Surely  it  is  not.  It  is 
a  certain,  and  to  him  a  costly  token  of  concern  for 
the  welfare  of  his  beloved  charge.  His  heart  melts 
within  him  while  he  inflicts  the  rod  :  but,  his  child 
is  dearer  to  him  than  every  other  consideration,  and, 
therefore  he  will  not  give  him  up,  but  will  eudea- 
vour  to  save  him.  But  if  he  spare  the  rod,  it  is  a 
sad  symptom  that  the  child  is  become  incorrigible, 
and  is  given  up  at  last  as  altogether  hopeless.  God 
also*  loves  his  Saints.  A  woman  may  forget  her 
sucking  child,  sooner  than  he  will  forget  them. 
They  are  dear  to  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  Yet 
for  their  good,  he  often  finds  it  necessary  to  visit 


LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED.         143 

them  with  judgments,  to  chasten  them  very  sore, 
and  purify  them  by  the  furnace  of  affliction.  Who- 
ever considers  for  a  moment  the  frailty  of  human 
nature,  must  be  sensible  these  afflictions  are  neces- 
sary, and  their  good  effects  are  evident.  Prosperity 
has  a  hardening  and  stupifying  influence  on  the 
mind.  When  all  things  prosper  we  are  apt  to  grow 
presumptuous  and  elated,  to  be  lulled  into  a  dange- 
rous security,  and  the  forgetfulness  of  God.  But 
when  we  are  blessed  with  seasonable  corrections, 
before  the  repeated  commission  of  wickedness  shall 
have  hardened  our  hearts,  we  are  brought  to  con- 
sider the  error  of  our  ways,  to  be  humbled  under  a 
sense  of  our  manifold  sins,  and  to  turn  us  unto  the 
testimonies  of  God.  Such  was  the  happy  effect  that 
it  produced  in  Job,  after  many  conflicts  with  his 
Maker  on  account  of  his  judgments.  "  Behold  I  am 
vile,"  says  he,  "what  shall  I  answer  thee?  I  will 
lay  mine  hand  upon  my  mouth.  Once  have  I  spo- 
ken, but  I  will  not  answer :  yea,  twice,  but  1  will 
proceed  no  further."  Job  40.  4,  5.  Such  also  was 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  Psalmist  David.  "It 
was  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted,  for  before  I 
was  afflicted,  I  went  astray,  but  now  I  keep  thy 
Law."  And  the  Apostle  Paul  says,  that  though 
afflictions  for  the  present  are  not  joyous  but  grievous, 
yet  they  are  but  for  a  moment,  and  they  work  out 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory. 

When  I  said  that  the  righteous  were  not  to  ex- 
pect their  reward  until  their  work  was  done,  and 
for  the  same  reason  that  the  unrighteous  were  not 
to  be  punished  without  sufficient  trial,  I  in  part  ac- 


144        LOT  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS  AND  WICKED. 

counted  for  the  forbearance  of  God  towards  the 
latter.  Another  reason  why  tliey  are  permitted  to 
prosper  and  prolong  their  lives  in  their  wickedness, 
is,  that  the  goodness  of  (rod  might  lead  them  to  re- 
pentance. "  And  knowing,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  that 
the  goodness  of  God  leadeth  to  repentance."  For 
this  reason  he  bears  with  them.  He  louj^  waits  to 
be  gracious,  not  willing  that  they  should  perish. 
"As  I  live,"  saith  the  Lord,  *' I  have  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  a  sinner,  but  would  rather  he  would 
turn  and  live :  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die, 
O  !  House  of  Israel." 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

"  That  all  men  should  honor  the  Son,  evpn  as  thpy 
honor  the  Father:  he  that  honoreth  not  the  Son, 
honoreth  not  the  Father  which  hath  sent  him.'' 

Johu,  5th  chap.  23d  verse. 

For  the  creature  to  honor  the  Creator,  is  certainly 
not  to  advance  him  to  any  new  dignity,  or  confer 
upon  him  any  higher  titles  than  such  as  he  would 
possess,  independently  of  human  applause,  but  de- 
voutly, with  the  most  profound  reverence  and  hu- 
mility, to  worship  and  adore  him.     It  is  to  acknow- 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE    SAVIOUR.  145 

ledge  his  majesty  and  glory  ;  to  shew  forth  his  most 
worthy  praise,  to  reverence  his  Holy  name ;  to  ex- 
ercise an  entire  resignation  to  his  sovereign  will, 
and  yield  a  prompt  and  unreserved  obedience  to  his 
commandments,  together  with  all  such  expressions 
of  homage  as  he  may  be  pleased  to  reveal  to  us,  that 
he  will  vouchsafe  to  receive.  It  is  matchles  conde- 
scension in  the  God  of  Heaven,  that  he  should  ac- 
cept the  praises  of  men  at  all,  or  the  praises  of  the 
most  exalted  Archangels  that  surround  his  Throne 
on  high.  But,  the  homage  of  neither  will  he  ever 
deign  to  accept,  to  the  exclusion  of  his  Son.  Those 
spotless  intelligencies  cease  not,  day  nor  night,  in 
their  ascriptions  of  praise  to  "  Him  that  sits  upon 
the  Throne,  and  to  tlie  Lamb  that  was  slain :"  and, 
to  the  children  of  men,  he  liath  given  commandment 
that  they  "  honor  the  Son,  even  as  they  honor  the  Fa- 
ther." The  exalted  seraphs  that  "  adore  and  burn," 
account  it  their  highest  honor,  in  obedience  to  the 
sovereign  mandate,  to  cast  their  crowns  at  our  Re- 
deemer's feet;  in  token  of  their  most  profound  sub- 
mission. 

The  children  of  men,  however,  from  what  source 
of  information  1  know  not,  hut  certainly  not  from 
the  wisdom  that  is  from  above,  through  their  great 
zeal  for  the  honor  of  the  Deity,  and  an  extreme  re- 
pugnance to  idolatry,  cannot  be  brought  to  bend  the 
knee  to  Him  that  was  slain,  although  alive  again, 
or  acknowledge  him  as  God.  Their  doctrine  is, 
that  our  Lord  "Jesus  Christ  was  a  mere  man,  who 
had  no  existence  antecedent  to  his  miraculous  con- 
ception ;  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  a  distinct  per- 
son ;  but,  th^t  the  Father  is  truly  and  properly  God." 

19 


146  THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

They  contend,  that  the  doctrine  of  satisfaction  for 
sin,  is  utterly  false,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  only 
preached  the  truth  to  mankind ;  that  he  set  hefore 
them  an  example  of  heroic  virtue,  and  sealed  his 
testimony  with  his  blood.  The  doctrine  of  original 
sin  and  justiiication,  in  consequence  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  Jesus  Christ,  is  altogether  excluded  from 
their  system.  Such  is  the  religious  creed  of  Soci- 
nus,  the  founder  of  this  sect.  Some  new  notions, 
however,  are  flitting,  as  I  understand,  before  the 
imagination  of  some  modern,  eastern  theologians, 
who  tell  us  that  there  was  nothing  miraculous,  nor 
at  all  extraordinary  in  the  conception  of  our  Saviour, 
and  that  he  is  in  no  degree  to  be  considered  as  the 
object  of  religious  worship. 

When  men  engage  in  the  discussion  of  points  of 
controversy,  they  are  too  apt  to  lose  their  temper; 
to  represent  each  other  as  destitute  of  all  religion, 
and  to  attribute  to  them  the  most  unhallowed  mo- 
tives. 

It  is,  doubtless,  the  duty  of  the  ministers  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  maintain  the  truth  as  it  is  in  him,  and  to 
oppose  such  errors  as  they  judge  detractive  from  the 
honor  of  their  Kedeemer,  and  prejudicial  to  the  best 
interests  of  their  fellow  men,  more  especially  of  the 
people  of  their  charge :  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  use 
harsh  language,  and  to  entertain  illiberal  sentiments, 
is  not  only  contrary  to  the  mild,  benevolent  spirit  of 
the  religion  of  Jesus,  but  of  real  disservice  to  the 
cause  in  which  they  are  employed.  I  hope,  how- 
ever, that  without  breach  of  charity,  in  this  case,  I 
may  say,  that  if  this  system  of  doctrine  laid  down 
by  Sotinus,  and  espoused  by  his  followers,  be  true  : 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR.  147 

if  our  Lord  and  Saviour  be  not  very  God  as  well 
as  man ;  if  the  sufferings  of  his  human  nature 
were  not  of  infinite  value  and  merit  by  its  union  with 
the  Divine ;  and,  if  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ 
were  not  endured  for  the  express  purpose  of  cancel- 
ling and  expiating  human  guilt,  our  case  is  hopeless 
and  deplorable  indeed.  We  have  had  some  expe- 
rience, I  trust,  of  our  guilt  and  misery :  and  when  we 
were  enquiring  what  we  should  do  to  be  saved,  we 
were  invited  and  encouraged  to  flee  for  refuge  from 
the  avenger  of  blood  to  the  peace-speaking  blood  of 
Jesus,  which  his  Gospel  assured  us  was  shed  on 
purpose  for  the  remission  of  sins.  Every  time  we 
seated  ourselves  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  it  was  in 
commemoration  of  this  ;  and  in  partaking  with  reve- 
rence, humility  and  contrition,  of  the  symbols  of  his 
body  and  blood,  our  hearts  were  consoled  by  the 
hope  of  mercy,  while  at  the  same  time  they  over- 
flowed with  gratitude  for  the  unspeakable  gift,  and 
the  most  tender  and  endearing  manifestations  of  Di- 
vine love  to  perishing  sinners. 

In  this  faith  our  fathers  lived,  in  this  they  died, 
and  triumphed  in  the  hour  of  their  death.  In  this 
faith,  we  have  been  instructed  from  our  earliest 
youth.  And  under  the  influence  of  this  persuasion, 
many  a  distressed  heavy-laden  sinner,  and  some 
amongst  ourselves,  I  trust,  have  with  penitent  hearts 
applied  to  the  God  of  mercy  for  pardon,  through 
the  merits  of  a  crucified  Redeemer,  and  found,  or 
thought  they  found,  rest  and  peace  to  their  souls. 
Thought  they  found,  I  say ;  for,  if  Christ  did  not 
die  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  to  expiate  human  guilt 
by   his  atonement ;   but  the  opposite  doctrine  be 


148  THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

true,  alas  !  where  are  we?  And  what  is  to  become 
of  us  ?  If  Christ  was  not  delivered  for  our  oflen- 
ces,  and  did  not  rise  again  for  our  justification,  I 
have  no  glad  tidings  for  you  any  more.  Instead  of 
directing  enquiring  souls,  and  applying  myself  to 
the  blood  of  atonement  for  the  pardon  of  guilt,  I 
should  be  reduced  to  the  painful  necessity  of  declar- 
ing in  the  words  of  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  respect- 
ing the  resurrection  of  our  Lord  from  the  grave, 
"  We  are  yet  in  our  sins  :"  And  that,  as  without 
the  shedding  of  blood,  there  is  no  remissiou  of  sins, 
in  our  own  blood  we  must  perish  forever.  But  be 
of  good  cheer,  O  !  humble  believer.  Let  not  go  this 
only  anchor  of  your  hope.  The  great  design  of 
God  in  sending  his  Son  into  the  world,  was  that  he 
might  redeem  the  world,  that  whosoever  believed  ia 
him  might  not  "  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life." 
The  rule  laid  down  by  a  great  Latin  critic,  never 
to  introduce  a  God,  but  on  occasions  worthy  of  Di- 
vine interposition,  is  perfectly  just,  and  obviously- 
applicable,  1  think,  to  the  case  before  us.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  see  any  necessity,  that  the  Son  of  God 
should  come  down  from  Heaven,  assume  our  nature, 
become  a  man  of  sorrows,  and  finally  die  on  the 
cross,  or  die  at  all,  if  it  were  merely,  or  principally 
for  the  sake  of  dying,  and  that  men  might  be  taught 
by  his  example,  to  endure  sufterinsjs  with  patience, 
and  death  with  fortitude.  Where  was  the  necessity 
for  such  great  preparations,  to  accomplish  such  a 
purpose?  There  are  instances  enough  on  record,  of 
persons  who  died  heroically,  before  the  Saviour 
came ;  and  thousands  and  thousands  since,  have 
died  like  poltroons.     But  it  was  worthy  of  the  Son 


THE  DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR.  149 

of  God  to  save  a  ruined  world  ;  to  redeem  from 
death  and  destruction,  precious  souls  which  he  had 
formed  ;  to  appease  the  wrath  of  God ;  to  render 
him  propitious  to  guilty  sinners  ;  to  inform  them 
that  by  his  precious  blood  shed  on  the  cross,  on 
their  account,  there  was  forgiveness  for  them  with 
God,  and  plenteous  redemption ;  to  encourage  the 
humble,  believing  penitent;  to  teach  him,  not  only 
how  to  live  and  how  to  die,  but  how  to  rise  again 
and  receive  eternal  life  which  he  died  to  purchase 
for  them. 

For  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement,  we  are  in- 
debted to  Divine  revelation,  and  from  that  source 
we  must  derive  all  our  information  respecting  it. 
That  Jesus  of  Nazareth  died,  that  he  suft'ered  the 
painful  and  ignominious  death  of  the  cross,  is  a 
matter  of  fact  which  all  men  are  ready  to  admit ; 
but  that  he  died  for  sin  in  the  room  of  sinners,  is 
called  in  question  by  some,  who  profess  to  embrace 
the  Scriptures  as  the  oracles  of  truth,  and  the  source 
of  their  instruction.  Thus  do  poor  erring  mortals 
differ. 

Without  being  ensnared  or  influenced  by  the  en- 
ticing words  of  man's  wisdom,  1  shall  just  lay  down 
before  you  the  doctrine  on  the  point  in  question,  as 
it  is  revealed  to  us  in  the  word  of  God  ;  and  then 
you  will  judge  for  yourselves,  whether  Christ  was 
offered  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  or  not.  Our  blessed 
Lord,  immediately  after  his  resurrection,  in  convers- 
ing with  two  of  his  disciples  whom  he  overtook  on 
their  way  to  Emmaus,  concerning  the  things  that 
had  been  done  to  him,  referred  them  to  Moses  and 
Hic  Prophets  for  satisfactory  information.     I  shall 


150  THE    DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

therefore  cite  to  you  a  few  passaj^es  out  of  the  Old 
Testament.  It  contains  predictions  respecting  our 
Saviour,  almost  innumerable ;  but  1  shall  only  se- 
lect a  few  of  such  as  have  reference  to  the  design 
of  his  death.  In  the  53d  chap,  of  Isaiah,  then, 
from  the  5th  verse,  you  will  find  the  following  ac- 
count :  ^'But  he  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions, 
he  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement 
of  our  peace  was  upon  him,  and  with  his  stripes 
we  are  healed."  "  All  we  like  sheep  have  gone 
astray,  and  the  Lord  hath  laid  upon  him  the  iniqui- 
ty of  us  all.  He  was  taken  from  prison  and  from 
judgment;  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the 
living,  for  the  transgressions  of  my  people  he  was 
stricken."  "  By  his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous 
servant  justify  many,  for  he  shall  bear  their  iniqui- 
ties. And  he  bore  the  sins  of  many,  and  made  in- 
tercessions for  the  transgressors."  Without  multi- 
plying quotations,  I  shall  only  further  refer  you  to 
the  9th  chap,  of  Daniel,  26th  verse.  "  And  after 
three  score  and  two  weeks  shall  Messiah  be  cut  off, 
but  not  for  himself." 

When  we  turn  to  the  Gospel,  we  find  it  abound- 
ing in  explicit  declarations  to  the  same  effect. — 
"  The  Son  of  man,"  says  Saint  Matthew,  "  came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to 
give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many."  Chapter  20,  28. 
In  the  6th  of  John,  our  blessed  Lord  himself  says  ; 
"  And  the  bread  whicli  1  shall  give  is  my  flesh, 
which  I  will  give  for  the  life  of  the  world."  And 
when  he  gave  the  cup  to  his  disciples,  at  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Christian  passovcr,  he  accompanied  it 
with  these  words ;  ^'  This  is  my  blood  of  the  New 


THE   DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR.  151 

Testament  which  is  shed  for  many,  for  the  remission 
of  vsins."  Saint  Paul,  in  his  1st  epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians, informs  them  that  **  Christ  died  for  our 
sins  according  to  the  Scriptures  ;"  1st  Corinthians 
15.  3.  In  his  second  he  says,  "  The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us  because  we  thus  jndge,  that  if  one 
died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead  :  And  that  he  died 
for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  him  which  died  for 
them  and  rose  again  ;"  2d  Corinthians  5.  14,  15.  In 
the  1st  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  the  words  of  the 
Apostle  are,  "  For  God  hath  not  appointed  us  to 
wralh,  but  to  obtain  salvation  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  who  died  for  us  ;■'  5.  9, 10.  See  also  the  2d 
chapter  to  the  Hebrews,  9th  verse.  ^*But  we  see 
Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels, 
for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honour ;  that  he,  by  the  grace  of  God,  should  taste 
death  for  every  man  ;"  Hebrew  9.  28.  "  So  Christ 
was  once  offered  to  bear  the  sins  of  many,"  &c. 

Now,  let  us  suppose  that  it  was  really  the  inten- 
tion of  these  words  to  represent  Jesus  Christ  as  a 
sacrifice  for  sin,  and  that  it  was  his  great  object  in 
dying  on  the  cross,  to  expiate  human  guilt,  and  pro- 
cure pardon  and  salvation  for  guilty  and  perish- 
ing sinners ;  1  beseech  you,  in  what  plainer  and 
more  unequivocal  language,  could  the  doctrine  have 
been  expressed  ?  Take  for  a  specimen  the  declara- 
tions of  our  Saviour  himself  which  have  been  al- 
ready quoted ;  ^*  The  Son  of  man  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give  his  life  a 
ransom  for  many."  Again,  "And  the  bread  which 
I  shall  give  you  is  my  flesh  which  I  will  give  for 


152  THE    DIVINITY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

the  life  of  the  world  ;"  and,  in  skiving  the  cup, 
"  This  cup."  said  he,  '*is  my  blood  of  the  Tsew  ^les- 
tament  which  is  shed  for  many,  for  the  remission 
of  sins." 

Such  language  as  this,  certainly  gives  but  little 
countenance  to  the  frivolous  conceit,  that  the  great 
and  sole  object  of  Christ's  coming  into  the  world  was 
to  instruct  them  in  things  they  did  not  know  before; 
and,  that  the  only  design  of  his  sufferings  and  death, 
was  to  teach  men  how  to  bear  adversity  with  pa- 
tience, and  meet  death  with  fortitude.  It  is  true, 
that  he  did  instruct  as  a  Prophet ;  but,  it  is  as  true, 
and  to  us  of  greater  interest,  that  as  a  Priest,  he  of- 
fered a  complete  atonement  for  sin :  on  this,  depends 
all  human  hope. 

To  deny  the  atonement  of  Christ,  is,  in  effect,  to 
deny  his  Divinity ;  and  there  is  no  doubt,  but  that  the 
one  is  done  for  the  sake  of  the  other.  Hence  it  is 
alledged,  that  to  worship  the  Saviour  is  an  act  of 
idolatry.  If  this  were  indeed  so,  what  would  become 
of  the  direction  in  the  text,  ^'  That  all  men  should 
honor  the  Son,  even  as  they  honor  the  Father?" 
That  is,  in  the  same  manner,  with  the  same  reverence, 
and  to  the  same  extent.  Is  it  not  most  unaccounta- 
ble, too,  if  it  be  idolatrous  in  men  to  worship  the  Son, 
that  the  Angels  should  be  expressly  commanded  to 
commit  this  very  idolatry?  "  Let  all  the  Angels  of 
God  worship  Him,"  is  the  sovereign  mandate. 


THE   BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  153 

THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

^^  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted J^ 

Psalms,  119th  chap.  71st  verse. 

That  man  is  born  to  trouble,  is  a  general  asser- 
tion, to  which  so  few  exceptions  are  to  be  found,  that 
the  vainest  hope  which  we  can  entertain,  is,  that  we 
shall  pass  our  lives  in  uninterrupted  prosperity,  and 
know  the  nature  of  trouble  and  disappointment,  not 
by  experience,  but  by  observation.  Yet  they  who 
are  in  a  state  of  prosperity,  are  often  inclined  to  in- 
dulge this  vain  hope,  and  to  flatter  themselves  with 
the  expectation  of  many  days  to  come,  all  as  fair  as 
those  which  they  at  present  enjoy. 

There  is  another  illusion  as  common  as  this,  and 
more  dangerous,  namely,  a  persuasion  that  adversi- 
ty is  the  greatest  evil  which  can  befal  us.  The 
Scriptures  frequently  affirm  the  contrary,  and  though 
out  of  respect  to  their  sacred  authority,  we  admit  in 
general  all  to  be  true  which  is  contained  in  them, 
yet,  on  this  point,  we  believe  as  though  we  believed 
not ;  our  faith  is  imperfect,  and  its  influence  upon 
our  passions  is  feeble  and  superficial.  And  yet  the 
doctrine  of  the  Scriptures  upon  this  subject  is 
agreeable  to  general  experience,  and  to  plain  com- 
mon sense.  The  Scriptures  have  no  refined  and 
subtle  notions  about  the  nature  of  adversity,  nor 
do  they  endeavour  to  persuade  us  that  we  may  take 
pleasure  in  it ;  but  acknowledging  that  it  is  irksome 

20 


154  THE   BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

and  contrary  to  our  inclinations,  they  assure  us  that 
it  produces  many  salutary  effects.  "No  chastening," 
say  they,  *'  for  the  present  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but 
grievous ;  nevertheless,  afterwards,  it  yieldeth  to 
peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness  unto  thein  that  are 
exercised  thereby."  "  It  is  good  for  me,"  says  David 
in  the  words  of  the  text,  "  that  1  have  been  afflicted." 
He  doth  not  say,  that  afflictions,  whilst  he  endured 
them,  were  agreeable  to  him  ;  but  that  he  had  found 
them  profitable,  and  that  they  had  made  him  a  bet- 
ter man,  a  more  careful  observer  of  the  laws  of  God. 
**  It  is  £,ood  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted,  that  I 
might  learn  thy  statutes."  He  confesses,  that  pros- 
perit,v  had  been  prejudicial  to  him  :  that  it  had  con- 
duced to  make  him  negligent  of  his  duty  ;  that  whilst 
he  seemed  to  be  happy,  his  soul  was  in  no  good  con- 
dition, though  he  perhaps  was  not  sensible  of  it, 
till  adversity  taught  him  his  danger,  and  the  neces- 
sity of  amendment.  "  Before  1  was  afflicted"  says 
he  in  this  Psalm,  "  I  went  astray ;  but  now  have  I 
kept  thy  word." 

Afflictions  have  a  tendency  to  produce  in  us  re- 
formation and  improvement.  It  will  be  proper  to 
shew  this,  and  to  point  it  out  in  particular  instances. 

One  use,  then,  of  afflictions,  is,  that  they  often 
make  us  better  members  of  society,  by  giving  us  a 
compassionate  disposition  towards  those  who  are 
unhappy,  and  a  ]>roneness  to  assist  and  relieve  them. 

Experience  shews,  that  they  who  have  been  ac- 
quainted with  trouble,  are  the  most  inclined  to  pity 
a  fellow- sufferer  who  is  in  the  same  condition. 
They  have  been  in  the  like  hard  circumstances : 
they  then  wanted  the  friendly  advice  and  the  good 


THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  155 

offices  of  others :  they  then  more  especially  ^ve^e 
displeased  if  thoy  found  themselves  neglected  and 
slighted,  and  their  reasonable  requests  refused. 
They  are  consequently  the  more  disposed  to  make 
the  case  of  others  their  own,  and  to  have  a  strong 
sense  of  the  beauty  of  that  Divine  precept,  which 
directs  us  to  do  to  our  neighbour  what  we  would 
that  he  should  do  to  us.  The  sacred  writers  have 
not  omitted  this  observation,  when,,  to  encourage  us 
to  trust  in  our  Mediator,  they  remind  us  that  he, 
having  borne  our  nature  and  its  weaknesses,  is  con- 
sequently the  more  ready  to  assist  us ;  for  in  that 
himself  hath  suffered,  being  tempted,  he  is  able  to 
succour  them  that  are  tempted.  We  seem  to  be 
naturally  disposed  to  pity  those  who  suffer,  but  this 
disposition  may  be  weakened  and  destroyed,  or 
preserved  and  strengthened.  It  is  often  weakened 
by  temporal  prosperity,  which  raises  in  us  a  thought- 
less careless  gaiety,  a  great  love  of  amusements  and 
pleasure,  and  an  aversion  from  all  objects  which 
may  create  any  melancholy  and  uneasiness  :  and  it  is 
as  frequently  preserved  and  increased  by  calamities, 
which  soften  the  heart,  and  give  it  a  taste  for  the 
serious  pleasures  arising  from  benevolence  and  hu- 
manity. 

It  is  a  thing  of  far  less  importance,  and  yet  it  is 
not  altogether  unworthy  of  observation,  that  afflic- 
tions have  a  tendency  to  improve,  not  only  a  man's 
moral  dispositions,  but  his  natural  abilities  also,  his 
sentiments  and  his  expressions,  his  thoughts  and  his 
style. 

Here  then  is  a  particular  and  a  general  use  of  af- 
flictions.     They  are  certainly  profitable  to  those 


156  THE   BENEFIT  OP  AFFLICTION. 

whose  temper  and  understanding  they  have  im- 
proved, and  they  are  of  general  use  to  societies,  by 
raising  up  among  them,  public  benefactors. 

Afflictions  have  also  a  tendency,  either  to  prevent 
or  to  remove  from  us  pride  and  insolence,  and  a  dis- 
regard of  our  fellow-creatures. 

They  who  live  at  their  ease,  who  have  experi- 
enced no  disappointments,  who  enjoy  health,  and 
plenty,  and  power,  learn  to  imagine  that  health,  and 
plenty,  and  power,  contain  in  them  all  perfections 
of  body  and  mind,  or  at  least,  supply  all  the  defects 
of  either ;  they  learn  too  easily  to  forget  themselves, 
and  to  slight  those  who  are  beneath  them.  But 
trouble,  like  death,  equals  all,  and  at  its  approach, 
the  frivolous  marks  of  worldly  distinction  shew 
their  emptiness.  Calamities  befal  the  poor  and 
friendless :  they  visit  also  the  rich  and  the  power- 
ful j  and  when  they  come  to  those  whom  prosperity 
has  spoiled,  they  bring  this  instruction  along  with 
them,  that  all  states  are  exposed  to  the  evils  of  life, 
that  all  persons  stand  in  need  of  each  other's  assis- 
tance, and  that  the  most  considerable  difference  be- 
tween us,  is  that  which  is  made  by  virtue  and  vice. 

Again ;  afflictions  are  useful,  as  they  wean  us 
from  too  great  a  love  for  this  world. 

Since  men  are  fond  of  life,  and  of  all  that  con- 
duces to  its  convenience,  and  since  this  fondness  is 
very  much  increased  by  the  possession  of  the  good 
things  belonging  to  the  present  state,  it  is  fit  upon 
the  whole,  that  man  who  is  born  to  die,  should  also 
be  born  to  trouble,  and  meet  with  disappointments, 
and  see  the  disagreeable  parts  of  life,  that  he  may 
be  contented  to  submit  to  a  decree  which  ho  cannot 


THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  157 

reverse,  and  learn  to  retire  decently  from  a  state 
which  the  law  of  mortality  will  force  him  to  quit, 
whether  he  be  willing  or  not. 

It  hath  been  thought  by  some,  that  if  we  lived 
long  enough,  we  might  and  we  should  learn  all  this, 
without  the  assistance  of  afflictions,  those,  rigid  in- 
structors. We  are  satiated,  say  they,  as  of  other 
things,  so  of  life  itself.  A  constant  return  of  the 
same  occupations,  and  of  the  same  amusements,  will 
grow  unwelcome  and  insipid  at  the  last,  and  we 
shall  desire  a  release,  and  receive  it  as  a  favour, 

A  certain  mixture  of  sprightliness  and  melancho- 
ly, might  lead  some  persons  into  this  way  of  think- 
ing ;  but,  the  greater  part  of  men  are  so  much  at- 
tached to  the  present  state,  that  much  stronger 
causes  are  necessary  to  give  them  an  indiiference  to- 
wards the  world  :  nor,  would  a  long  life  grow  tire- 
some to  them,  unless  it  were  attended  with  worse  in- 
conveniences than  a  review  of  the  same  objects,  and 
a  repetition  of  the  same  actions. 

Afflictions,  therefore,  come  seasonably,  to  those 
who  would  willingly  take  up  their  abode  in  a  place 
which  was  not  designed  for  their  home,  and  give 
them  a  sense  of  the  many  defects  which  render  that 
place  undesirable;  and,  then  the  mind,  dissatisiied 
with  its  present  condition,  and  ever  desirous  of  find- 
ing rest  and  peace,  looks  forward  and  turns  its  views 
towards  Heaven.  This  is  another  use  of  troubles, 
and  one  of  the  ends  for  which  they  are  permitted, 
or  appointed  by  providence.  They  are  designed 
for  our  amendment,  and  they  naturally  conduce  to  it. 

Men,  living  in  a  neglect  of  their  duty,  find  ways 
to  compose  their  conscience,  and  to  drive  away  the 


158  THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

thoughts  of  their  ollences,  whilst  their  condition  here 
is  easy  aud  prosperous.  The  variety  of  amusements 
and  occupations,  to  which  they  have  recourse,  em- 
ploy aud  divert  them,  and  keep  oflP  serious  and  sor- 
rowful reflections.  It  was  the  observation  of  a  Pa- 
gan, tliat  altars  were  made  for  the  unhappy  ;  and, 
that  other  people  seldom  approached  them.  But, 
when  the  scene  is  changed,  and  things  fall  out  con- 
trary to  their  expectation,  and  trouble  overtakes 
them,  new  thoughts  take  place.  They  seek  relief  and 
assistance,  aud  they  see  that  worldly  objects  caa 
give  them  no  ease  and  no  comfort :  they  then  begin 
to  know  the  nature  of  such  objects,  and  to  look  upon 
them  w  ith  more  indifference.  When  they  have  lost 
the  things  which  they  most  valued  ;  or,  when  they 
find  them  deceitful,  useless  and  unsatisfactory,  they 
learn  to  pass  a  new,  and  a  better  judgment  upon 
them.  At  the  same  time,  they  perceive  the  beauty 
of  virtue,  the  excellence  of  piety,  the  many  advan- 
tages of  a  religious  life,  and  the  inestimable  value  of 
the  future  rewards  pVomised  to  the  obedient :  they 
see  the  folly  of  preferring  the  transitory  pleasures  of 
sin,  to  these  substantial  and  durable  blessings  :  they 
will  then  be  sensible,  that  God  alone  can  be  a  refuge 
to  them  ;  that  he  can,  in  many  ways,  assist  them ; 
that  he  can  remove  or  lessen  the  evils  which  oppress 
them ;  give  them  strength  of  mind  to  bear  them,  or 
make  those  calamities  turn  to  their  temporal  or  eter- 
nal welfare. 

Then  their  past  offences  will  rise  up  before  tliem, 
with  shame  and  sorrow,  that  they  had  not  serv- 
ed God  i)etter  in  the  days  of  their  prosperity  :  then 
resolutions  of  auicudment,  and  of  working  out  their 


THE  BENEFIT   OF  AFFLICTION.  159 

own  fsalvation  with  care  and  diligence,  will  follow. 

Lastly;  afflictions  are  useful,  by  inducing  us  to  ex- 
ercise the  virtues  suitable  to  that  state.  In  this  view 
they  are  trials ;  trials  of  our  patience,  constancy,  faith, 
resignation  and  reliance ;  and,  therefore,  great 
benefits  when  they  answer  the  end  for  which  they 
were  designed.  To  be  contented,  when  every  thing 
succeeds  according  to  our  desires,  to  think  that  God 
has  given  us  what  is  necessary  for  our  well-being, 
when  we  abound  with  all  conveniences  of  life,  is  no 
virtue.  But,  to  believe  that  a  state  of  affliction  is 
proper  for  us,  because  God  thinks  fit  to  try  us  with 
it,  to  submit  to  it  with  meekness  and  patience,  to  be 
willing  to  undergo  any  thing  here,  if  by  it,  we  may 
secure  his  approbation,  and  a  place  in  his  kingdom, 
is  a  disposition  most  acceptable  to  him.  The  be- 
haviour of  such  a  person,  recommends  constancy 
and  piety  to  all  who  converse  with  him,  more  than 
the  most  elaborate  discourses  upon  the  subject.  It 
hath  been  said,  that  a  good  man  contending  with 
ill  fortune,  and  superior  to  it,  is  a  spectacle  which 
God  himself  may  delight  to  behold  :  He  is  certain- 
ly an  example,  from  which  men  by  beholding  may 
receive  instruction  and  improvement. 

I  have  mentioned  several  desirable  effects  which 
afflictions  have  a  tendency  to  procure.  It  is  true 
that  they  have  not  always  these  happy  consequen- 
ces. There  are,  and  there  have  been  many  to  whom 
calamities  have  done  no  good,  but  the  contrary : 
Hence,  those  expostulations  and  complaints  in  the 
Prophets  :  "  For  all  this  his  anger  is  not  turned 
away,  but  his  hand  is  stretched  out  still ;  for  the 
people  turneth  not  to  him  who  smiteth  them,  neither 


160  THE   BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

do  they  seek  the  Lord  of  Hosts.  Why  should 
they  be  stricken  any  more  ?  They  will  revolt  more 
and  more.  Strangers  bave  devoured  the  strength 
o/  Ephraim ;  but  they  do  not  return  to  the  Lord, 
nor  seek  liim  for  all  this."  Afflictions  produce  in 
some,  a  distrust  of  God's  goodness,  hardness  of 
heart,  despair,  injurious  thoughts  against  Providence. 
In  others,  they  excite  humility,  repentance,  charity, 
humanity,  and  all  good  works.  To  be  made  worse 
by  sufferings,  is  a  sign  of  a  corrupt  and  profligate 
mind,  and  must  arise  from  a  disbelief  of  all  reli- 
gion, or  from  a  very  wicked  conduct ;  but  they 
who  are  in  a  state,  between  gross  impiety,  and 
Cliristian  holiness,  are  often  improved  by  suffer- 
ings. We  may  observe  that  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  afflictions  which  befal  Christians  are  re- 
presented not  as  punishments,  but  as  corrections,  as 
the  chastenings  of  a  father  and  a  friend  ;  as  acts  of 
God's  kindness  to  us,  intended  to  make  us  better 
and  happier. 

We  may  also  observe,  that  afflictions  will  be  more 
or  less  heavy  and  grievous  to  us,  according  to  the 
bad  or  good  effect  which  they  produce  in  us.  Very 
grievous  they  must  be  to  those,  who  account  God 
to  be  their  enemy,  and  neither  seek  nor  expect 
his  favour  and  assistance ;  but  to  those  who  are 
amended  b^  them,  they  will  not  prove  insupporta- 
ble. Trouble  leads  them  to  repentance,  and  repen- 
tance is  a  kind  of  pleasing  grief,  a  remorse  attended 
and  allayed  with  hopes  of  being  reconciled  to  our 
Father,  and  of  seeing,  one  time  or  other,  an  end  of 
sorrows.  And  besides  this,  God  hath  told  us  that 
such  as  our  behaviour  is,  when  we  are  thus  visited 


THE   BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  161 

by  him,  such  will  his  conduct  be  towards  us.  If 
we  turn  to  him,  and  receive  his  corrections  with  sub- 
mission and  humility,  and  by  the  reformation  of  our 
lives  shew  that  we  have  a  due  sense  of  our  faults, 
and  of  the  kind  end  for  which  those  corrections 
were  inflicted,  God  will  make  them  easy  to  us,  and 
in  due  time  relieve  or  release  us  :  But,  if  we  harden 
our  hearts,  and  sin  on  in  defiance  of  his  judgments, 
we  may  expect  that  God  will  deal  with  us  as  he 
declared  that  he  would  deal  with  the  people  of  Is- 
rael, who  having  denounced  terrible  evils,  which 
should  overtake  them,  if  they  forsook  him,  tells 
them,  "  if  you  will  not  be  reformed  by  all  this,  1 
will  punish  you  seven  times  more,  and  again  seven 
times  more  for  your  sins." 

Having  observed  thus  much  of  the  design  and 
tendency  of  afflictions,  it  only  remains  now  that  we 
consider  the  use  which  is  to  be  made  of  this  doc- 
trine. There  is  a  pretty  fable  related  by  an  ancient 
Pagan  writer,  that  the  Deity  who  formed  the  first 
man  out  of  the  ground,  reflecting  at  the  same  time 
on  the  calamities  which  the  unhappy  creature  was 
to  undergo,  wept  over  his  work,  and  tempered  it 
with  tears,  that  man,  whose  heart  should  be  so  often 
overcharged  with  griefs,  might  not  want  a  way  to 
give  it  vent.  This  writer  has  considered  afflictions 
in  a  desponding  and  melancholy  way :  but  there  is 
a  more  manly,  and  more  rational  way  of  consider- 
ing them,  and  it  is  thus  :  Since  we  have  no  reason 
to  expect  that  we  shall  spend  our  days  in  an  uniu- 
terrupted  enjoyment  of  temporal  happiness ;  since 
affliction  seems  on  the  contray  to  be  man's  patri- 
mony, his  birthright  and  inheritance ;  since  troubles 

2t 


i62  THE   BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

are  also  intended  for  our  benefit,  and  when  they 
produce  proper  effects,  become  more  easy  to  be  en- 
dured, it  is  our  duty  and  our  interest  to  prepare  our- 
selves to  meet  them,  and  to  acquire  the  methods  of 
softe.iing  their  harsh  nature,  and  of  improving  their 
good  tendency.  Therefore,  if  we  are  in  an  easy 
condition,  we  should  preserve  ourselves  free  from 
the  faults  whi(  h  often  accompany  that  state,  such  as 
pride,  uncharitableness,  irreligiou,  a  pursuit  of  un- 
lawful pleasures,  and  an  unreasonable  fondness  for 
the  world.  We  should  remember  that  there  is  noth- 
ing besides  our  virtue  that  we  can  call  our  own, 
and  that  almost  every  thing  else,  is  vanity  or  uncer- 
tainty. 

There  is  a  thoughtfulness  about  future  evils,  which 
makes  us  dissatisfied  and  uneasy  before-hand,  and 
raises  apprehensions  of  troubles  which  may  never 
befal  us  ;  and  tliis  is  a  weakness,  or  rather  a  folly. 
But  there  is  a  meditation  upon  these  subjects  which 
is  pleasant  and  profitable,  which  teaches  us  modera- 
tion in  the  best  state,  and  arms  us  with  courage  and 
constancy  against  the  worst. 

Happy  circumstances  incline  us  to  seek  out  va- 
riety of  amusements,  to  keep  much  company,  to  in- 
dulge our  appetites,  in  a  word,  to  create  to  ourselves 
many  wants,  to  make  many  things  necessary  to  us, 
which  many  persons  in  lower  life  never  possessed 
and  never  desired.  Thus  we  lay  ourselves  open  to 
grief  and  misery,  upon  any  change  of  circumstan- 
ces, and  become  unfit  to  act  a  rational  part  in  any 
other  fetation.  This  evil  would  not  befal  us,  if  we 
used  the  pleasures  and  conveniences  of  this  world, 
as  things  which  we  may  lose  and  ought  to  resign  dc- 


THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  163 

cently.  If  we  can  gratify  our  appetites  in  all  things, 
we  should  yet  sometimes  cross  and  contradict  them, 
that  we  may  live  contented  upon  a  little,  if  poverty 
should  ever  overtake  us.  If  we  have  friends  and 
relations,  we  should  at  certain  times  withdraw  from 
them  all,  that  we  may  know  how  to  bear  retirement- 
and  solitude,  if  need  should  require  it ;  that  we  may 
secure  to  ourselves  good  company,  within  our  own 
breasts,  and  be  able  to  converse  agreeably  with  God 
and  our  own  thoughts.  By  actins;  thus  in  prospe- 
rity, we  shall  escape  those  evils  wliich  others  draw 
upon  themselves,  and  those  which  God  inflicts  up- 
on sinners,  to  bring  them  to  a  better  mind,  and  we 
shall  not  be  overcome  by  those  which  befal  us.  If 
our  days  have  been  and  are  prosperous,  we  have 
great  reason  to  add  to  our  gratitude  an  uncommoa 
care  of  our  behaviour,  and  to  work  out  our  own  sal- 
vation with  fear  and  trembling.  God  hath  often  de- 
clared, that  he  corrects  those  whom  he  loves  best. 
We  must  therefore  beware,  that  we  be  not  of  the 
number  of  those  who  receive  good  things  only  in 
this  state.  If  that  should  be  our  case,  our  present 
happiness  would  be  our  heaviest  misfortune.  But 
the  favours,  the  temporal  favours  of  Providence,  are 
no  curses,  unless  we  make  them  such.  We  may  be 
successful  and  virtuous  too.  Indeed,  it  requires  no 
small  wisdom  and  caution  to  gain  these  two  bles- 
sings, which  men  almost  always  put  asunder ;  and 
the  difficulty  of  doing  this  should  teach  us  a  distrust 
of  ourselves,  a  moderate  esteem  of  our  possessions, 
and  a  religious  fear,  lest  we  should  miss  our  reward 
in'  Heaven.  If  we  have  endeavoured  to  behave  our- 
selves like  men  and  like  Christians,  then  have  we 


164  THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION. 

many  motives  to  bear  adversity  with  patience  and 
resignation,  and  not  to  be  quite  cast  down.  Then 
we  have  a  refuge,  and  may  apply  to  him  who  hath 
told  us,  that  all  things  shall  work  together  for  good 
to  them  that  love  him  ;  that  he  will  not  sufler  them 
to  be  tried  above  their  strength,  but  will  with  the 
temptation,  make  a  way  that  they  may  escape  ;  and 
that  blessed  are  they  who  are  trained  up  by  these 
short  hardships,  to  glory  and  immortality.  If  our 
days  are  evil,  they  are  few,  and  then  follows  a  state 
of  peace  to  the  righteous  ;  then  various  rewards  will 
be  distributed,  and  probably  none  of  the  smallest  to 
those  who  have  been  exercised  and  improved  by 
afflictions.  We  judge  persons  fortunate  or  wretch- 
ed, according  to  their  present  outward  circumstan- 
ces. How  uncertain  must  that  judgment  be  ?  If 
God  should  enable  us  to  see  what  passeth  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  or  if  he  should  remove  the  cloud 
from  our  eyes,  and  give  us  a  view  of  the  state  which 
is  to  succeed  this,  how  desirable  would  the  condition 
appear  of  many,  whom  the  world  now  is  disposed 
to  pity  or  to  despise  ! 

If  the  evil  dajs  come  upon  us  before  we  are  pre- 
pared to  meet  them,  before  we  have  reformed  our  con- 
duct, it  is  our  duty  to  consider  the  purposes  for  which 
it  pleaseth  God  to  visit  us.  If  we  give  ourselves 
up  to  sullen  discontent  or  despair,  or  if  we  have  no 
sorrow  for  our  past  offences,  but  only  for  our  pre- 
sent calamities,  we  make  not  a  right  use  of  his  cor- 
rections :  we  offend  him  still  more :  we  add  to  the 
weight  of  the  burden,  which  he  hath  laid  upon  us. 
His  corrections  call  to  repentance ;  and  we  should 
be  thankful  that  he  took  us  not  off  at  a  time  when 


THE  BENEFIT  OF  AFFLICTION.  165 

death  would  have  been  the  destruction,  both  of  soul 
and  body ;  and  whilst  we  endeavour  to  reform  our 
lives,  we  should  trust  in  the  promises  of  God,  that 
he  will  be  found  of  those  who  thus  seek  him. 

Lastly  :  If  we  have  passed  through  troubles,  and 
seen  an  end  of  them,  our  behaviour  should  be  such, 
that  we  may  be  able  to  say  with  David,  "  It  is  good 
for  us  that  we  have  known  afflictions."  We  may 
reflect  upon  them  with  pleasure,  if  we  are  sensible 
that  they  weakened  our  depraved  appetites  and  vain 
desires,  strengthened  our  good  dispositions,  and 
adorned  our  minds  with  new  graces.  But,  if  they 
have  left  us  no  better  than  they  found  us,  our  con- 
dition is  bad  indeed.  In  honest  and  generous  tem- 
pers, the  blessings  of  God  produce  gratitude  and 
love  :  In  those  which  are  less  tractable,  afflictions  of- 
ten create  amendment :  But  there  is  no  hope  of  those 
upon  whom  nothing  can  work,  upon  whom  both 
severity  and  kindness  are  forever  thrown  away. 


166  FUTURE    PUNISHMENT. 

FUTURE  PUNISHMENT. 

"  And  these  shall  s;o  away  into  everlasting  punis- 
ment;  but  the  righteous  into  life  etemaV^ 

Matthew,  25th  chap.  46lh  verse. 

The  unequal  distribution  of  rewards  and  punish- 
ments in  this  life,  has  not  only  been  made  a  pretence 
with  men  of  dissolute  lives  for  continuing  in  iniquity 
and  the  neglect  of  God,  but  also  for  calling  in  ques- 
tion the  superintendence  and  care  of  his  providence 
over  the  aflFairs  of  men.  The  afflictions  of  the  right- 
eous, and  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  have  been 
thought  to  be  inconsistent  with  the  justice  of  God, 
which,  according  to  their  idea  of  equity,  should  ne- 
cessarily reward  the  good,  and  punish  the  vicious. 
But,  the  main  design  and  drift  of  their  arguments, 
have  been  to  allay  the  apprehension  of  a  more  equi- 
table distribution  in  a  future  state,  and  to  prove  as  a 
necessary  consequence,  that  there  is  no  judgment  to 
come,  because  there  is  no  Providence.  These  are 
considerations  they  take  for  granted  by  turns,  and 
dispute  in  a  circle  about  them  ;  that  there  is  no  fu- 
ture judgment,  because  there  is  no  Providence,  and 
there  is  no  Providence,  because  there  is  no  future 
state. 

It  was  even  a  stumbling  block  to  good  men  to  see 
the  wicked  flourishing  like  a  sreen  bay  tree,  whilst 
the  righteous  were  visited  with  severe  afflictions. 
This  almost  tempted  the  Holy  Psalmist  to  distrust 


FUTURE    PUNISHMENT.  167 

the  care  of  God's  Providence  over  his  servants,  and 
made  him  hastily  conchide,  that  he  had  cleansed 
his  heart  and  washed  his  hands  in  innocency  in 
vain.  **  As  for  me,''  says  he,  **  my  feet  were  almost 
gone,  my  steps  had  well  nigh  slipped,  for  1  was  en- 
vious as  the  foolish,  when  1  saw  the  prosperity  of 
the  wicked.  But  as  the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with 
them  that  fear  him,  so  he  was  enabled  to  look  for- 
vv^ard  to  a  future  state,  and  see  the  different  situations 
of  those  that  feared  God,  and  those  that  feared  him 
not.  When  I  sought  to  know  this,  it  was  too  hard  for 
me,  until  I  went  into  the  sanctuary  of  God;  then 
understood  I  them,  and,  surely  thou  didst  sit  them 
in  slippery  places ;  thou  castcdst  them  down  to  de- 
struction. But  thou  shalt  guide  me  with  thy  coun- 
cil, and  afterwards  receive  me  to  glory."  When  the 
prosperity  of  the  wicked  became  their  snare,  he  no 
longer  envied  their  lot,  nor  did  he  distrust  the  good- 
ness of  God,  in  the  afflictive  dispensations  of  his 
Provideuce,  when  he  understood  that  the  light  af- 
flictions which  the  Christian  endured,  would  work 
out  for  him  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  Aveight 
of  glory. 

In  the  very  solemn  passage  under  consideration, 
our  Saviour  very  expressly  informs  us,  what  will 
be  the  different  conditions  of  the  sinner  and  the  God- 
ly man,  and  the  final  destiny  of  both ;  these  shall 
go  away  into  everlasting  punishment,  and  the  righte- 
ous into  life  eternal. 

In  the  further  prosecution  of  this  subject,  I  shall 
endeavour  in  the  first  place,  according  to  my  promise, 
to  shew  that  the  afflictions  of  the  righteous  and 
the  prosperity  of   the  wicked,  are  no  arguments 


168  FUTURE    PUNISHMENT. 

against  Providence  and  a  future  judgment.  In  the 
second  place,  as  time  will  not  allow  me  to  discuss 
at  length,  both  parts  of  this  subject,  1  shall  confine 
myself  to  the  former  part  of  it,  and  consider  a  little, 
the  nature  of  the  punishment  that  awaits  the  wicked  ; 
and  in  the  third  place,  consider  its  duration.  Then 
a  few  observations,  from  what  may  have  been  said, 
shall  conclude  the  discourse. 

Under  the  first  head,  the  unequal  distributions  of 
rewards  and  punishments  in  this  life,  which  men  who 
think  but  little,  are  apt  to  consider  as  weighty  ar- 
guments against  Providence  and  a  future  state  of 
retribution,  is  so  far  from  answering  the  purpose, 
that  it  is,  if  duly  considered,  at  least,  an  indirect  im- 
plication of  both. 

According  to  every  just  notion  of  the  purity  and 
holiness  of  God,  sinners  must  be  the  objects  of  his 
abhorrence,  and  good  men  his  delight ;  and  to  deal 
with  them  in  equity,  he  must  punish  or  reward  them 
according  to  their  deeds.  AVhen,  therefore,  we  see 
the  wicked  flourishing,  and  the  righteous  afflicted, 
and  at  the  same  time,  take  into  consideration  the 
justice  of  God,  who  awardeth  righteous  judgment, 
we  may  rest  assured,  that  the  time  will  come,  when 
these  differences  shall  be  finally  adjusted ;  when 
the  righteous  shall  receive  their  recompence  of  re- 
ward, and  the  wicked  shall  suffer  the  wages  of  their 
iniquity ;  that  God  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which 
he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  and  ren- 
der unto  every  one  according  to  the  deeds  he  shall 
have  done  in  the  body,  whether  they  be  good,  or 
whether  they  be  evil.  If  we  consider  it  as  essential 
to  the  justice  of  God,  that  good  men  should  be  re- 


FUTURE    PUNISHMENT.  169 

rewarded,  and  bad  men  punished,  and  we  know  that 
this  is  not  the  case  in  this  life,  the  only  natural  con- 
clusion is,  that  these  distinctions  are  reserved  for  a 
future  state.  Indeed,  a  little  reflection  would  serve 
to  convince  us  of  the  propriety  of  an  indiscriminate 
lot  to  the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  This  world  is 
a  state  of  probation  in  which  we  are  to  be  trained 
up  in  the  practice  of  religion,  and  by  the  exercise  of 
virtue,  be  made  fit  for  Heaven.  The  servants  of 
God,  then,  are  not  to  expect  their  reward  until  their 
work  is  done ;  and  if  wicked  men  complain  of 
God's  Providence,  on  account  of  their  prosperity, 
probably,  they  would  think  it  much  harder  to  have 
suffered  the  demerit  of  their  crimes  immediately  in 
this  world,  and  be  punished  without  a  trial. 

It  is  easy  to  see,  that  if  God  were  on  all  occasions 
to  interpose  in  behalf  of  the  righteous,  and  in  pun- 
ishment of  the  wicked,  it  would  in  a  great  measure 
lay  a  constraint  upon  their  actions,  and  leave  but 
little  room  for  the  exerrise  of  Christian  graces. 
There  would  be  but  little  virtue  in  refraining  from 
vice,  if  the  terrors  of  the  Almighty  were  constantly 
displayed  before  our  eyes.  And  on  the  other  hand, 
it  would  destroy  our  faith  in  the  promises  of  God, 
which  is  so  essential  to  the  Christian,  that  he  is  said 
to  walk  by  faith  and  not  by  sight.  But  what  a  man 
seeth,  why  does  he  hope  for?  It  is  reserved,  there- 
fore, as  a  reward  to  good  men  in  another  life,  that 
their  faith  should  be  swallowed  up  of  vision,  and 
their  hope  terminate  in  enjoyment. 

2dly.  As  far  as  the  Providence  of  God  is  con- 
cerned, and  his  care  of  the  righteous  in  this  world, 
they  are  very  much  mistaken  who  attribute  the  af- 

22 


170  FUTURE    PUNISHMENT. 

flictions  of  good  men  to  his  neglect,  or  consider  them 
as  marks  of  his  displeasure ;  they  are  rather  the 
tokens  of  his  kindness  and  regard.  Afflictions  are 
promised  as  blessings  to  God's  people ;  for,  whom 
he  loveth,  he  chasteneth,  and  scourgeth  every  son 
and  daughter  whom  he  receiveth.  The  sufferings 
of  this  present  life,  though  for  the  present  they  are 
not  joyous,  but  grievous,  are  designed  for,  and  pro- 
ductive of  our  good,  in  abating  our  attachment  to 
the  transitory  objects  of  time  and  sense,  and  stand 
as  beacons  on  these  earthly  coasts,  to  warn  us  to  look 
for  happiness  in  a  better  country,  to  lay  up  our  trea- 
sure in  Heaven,  where  moth  and  rust  do  not  corrupt, 
and  where  it  will  not  be  subject  to  the  inroads  of 
time.  When  all  things  go  prosperously  on,  we  are 
apt  to  grow  presumptuous,  and  repose  in  a  dange- 
rous security,  and  in  the  neglect  of  God,  until  de- 
struction overtake  us  :  But,  when  we  are  blessed 
with  seasonable  correction,  before  the  frequent  com- 
mission of  wickedness  hardens  our  hearts,  we  are 
brought  to  consider  the  error  of  our  ways,  to  be 
humbled  under  the  sense  of  our  sins,  and  to  turn 
unto  the  testimonies  of  God.  Thus,  says  the  Psal- 
mist, ^'  It  is  good  for  me  that  I  was  afflicted  :  Be- 
fore I  was  afflicted,  1  went  astray,  but  now  I  keep 
thy  law." 

As  a  father  chasteneth  a  son,  so  does  God  deal 
with  them,  that  fear  him.  When  a  child  is  chas- 
tised, he  weeps  beneath  the  smart ;  but  the  correc- 
tion proceeds  from  the  sincerest  regard,  and  is  a 
token  of  the  purest  desire  to  promote  the  interest  of 
the  child.  On  the  other  hand,  when  he  withholds 
the  rod,  it  is  a  sad  token  that  the  child  is  become 


FUTURE    PUNISHMENT.  |71 

incorrigible,  or  that  having  been  often  chastised,  he 
has  hardened  his  heart,  and  is  given  up  to  his  own 
destruction.  Accordingly,  the  Apostle  says  to  the 
Hebrews,  "If  ye  endure  chastening,  God  dealeth 
with  you  as  sons ;  for,  what  son  is  he  whom  the 
father  chasteneth  not?  But  if  ye  be  without  chas- 
tisement, whereof  all  are  partakers,  then  are  ye 
bastards  and  not  sons.'' 

Lastly,  under  this  head,  as  to  the  prosperity  of  the 
wicked,  considering  what  has  been  already  said  of 
the  necessity  of  correction,  it  is  still  a  smaller  ob- 
jection against  Providence  in  permitting  it,  when 
their  lives  at  furthest  are  but  short,  and  often  che- 
quered too  with  the  misfortunes  that  fall  to  the  com- 
mon lot  of  humanity  ;  and  especially,  where  this  is 
not  the  case,  when  the  objection  is  so  easily  re- 
moved by  the  Psalmist  in  the  37th  Psalm,  "  Yet  a 
little  while  and  the  wicked  shall  not  be ;  yea,  thou 
shalt  diligently  consider  his  place,  and  it  shall  not 
be."  When  the  same  persons  who  have  been  the 
spectators  of  their  prosperous  wickedness,  shall  live 
to  see  a  sudden  end  of  them.  "  1  have  seen  the 
wicked  in  great  power,  and  spreading  himself  like 
a  green  bay  tree ;  yet  he  passed  away,  and  lo  !  he 
was  not :  yea,  I  sought  him,  but  he  could  not  be 
found."  If  the  righteous  then  suffer  tribulation 
here,  their  revirard  is  great  in  Heaven ;  and  if  the 
wicked  enjoy  an  uninterrupted  series  of  earthly 
prosperity,  there  is  a  day  of  reckoning  appointed 
for  them,  and  the  revelation  of  the  righteous  judg- 
ment of  God  in  a  future  state. 

This  leads  me  to  consider  the  nature  of  that  pun- 
ishment which  awaits  the  wicked  hereafter.     The 


172  I-UIUUK   fUJMSHMl^JVT* 

most  that  we  can  say  of  this  is,  that  it  surpasses  all 
description.  We  have  reason  to  bless  God,  that  we 
are  yet  the  monuments  of  his  mercy  and  forbearance; 
that  we  do  not  know  the  sufferings  that  are  contain- 
ed in  the  phials  of  his  wrath,  and  the  blackness  of 
darkness  for  ever.  Could  I  open  to  your  view  the 
bottomless  pit,  that  tophet  that  is  prepared  of  old  for 
the  Devil  and  his  Angels,  and  the  smoke  of  torment 
that  ascendeth  thence ;  or,  could  we  hear  the  groans 
of  the  wretched  prisoners  that  are  there  confined, 
we  might  have  some  idea  of  what  they  endure,  who 
have  fallen  under  the  wrath  of  Almighty  God. 

In  the  general,  however,  from  what  the  Scriptures 
teach  us,  we  may  learn,  that  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked  is  of  two  kinds  :  the  one  is  an  utter  exclu- 
sion from  the  joys  of  Heaven;  and  the  other,  the 
actual  vengeance  of  God.  We  are  informed  of  this, 
in  the  distressing  story  of  Lazarus  and  the  rich  sin- 
ner. The  latter,  we  are  told,  saw  the  happiness  at 
a  distance,  which  he  had  lost  forever :  he  saw  Abra- 
ham afar  off  and  Lazarus  in  his  bosom,  while  he 
was  excluded  from  those  happy  regions ;  and,  to 
add  to  his  misery,  he  was  tormented  in  the  flames. 
Had  we  no  greater  punishments  to  fear,  it  would  be 
an  awful  thing,  when  we  knocked  at  the  gate  of 
Heaven,  to  find  it  barred  against  us,  and  to  receive 
that  sentence  from  our  Judge,  "  Depart  from  me,  yc 
cursed,  I  never  knew  you.''  And  this,  we  know, 
shall  be  the  fate  of  all  the  wicked,  that  they  shall 
be  forever  banished  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  His  power.  They  are  not  to  be 
permitted  to  taste  of  the  rivers  of  pleasure,  which  flow 
forever  more  at  God's  right  hand ;  they  shall  not  cu- 


FUTURE  fUNISUMUJNT.  £78 

joy  the  smiles  of  their  Maker  and  Redeemer,  nor 
receive  tlie  congratulations  of  kindred  souls.  In 
short,  they  shall  be  forever  deprived  of  greater  hap- 
piness than  eye  hath  seen,  or  ear  heard,  or  hath  en- 
tered into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive. 

But,  secondly,  this,  however  dreadful,  alas  !  is  not 
all;  they  must  not  only  depart  from  Heaven,  but 
they  must  go  to  Hell :  they  not  only  forfeit  everlast- 
ing happiness,  but  they  must  be  exquisitely  misera- 
ble.    The  rich  sinner  lifted  up  his  eyes  in  Hell, 
being  in  torment.     The  unhappy  doom  which  they 
shall  suffer,   who,  by  continuing  in  sin,  lose  their 
souls,  will  not  only  be,  ^'  depart  ye  cursed,"  but, 
^^  Depart  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  Devil 
and  his  Angels."     The  torments  of  Hell  are  exhib- 
ited to  us  under  the  most  dreadful  representations ; 
such  as  fire  and  brimstone,  the  blackness  of  dark- 
ness ;  the  worm  that  never  dieth,  and  unquenchable 
fire.     Yet,  as  we  are  to  understand  by  these  repre- 
sentations, the  everlasting  death  of  the  soul,  men  have 
flattered  themselves  witb  vain  hopes,  that  these  tor- 
ments will  not  be  real,  and  that  material  fire  will 
not  be  used  in  punishing  an  immaterial  spirit.    But, 
these  hopes,  whether  true  or  false,  are  dangerous 
delusions.     Can  we  suppose  that  infinite  wisdom 
will  be  at  a  loss  to  contrive,  or  that  omnipotence 
shall  want  power  to  inflict  the  most  intolerable  tor- 
ments?    The  body,  as  well  as  the  soul,  will  be 
cast  into  Hell ;  and,  therefore,  we  cannot  say  that 
there  will  be  no  fire  there.     But,  allowing  these  to 
be  figurative  expressions,  we  have  reason  to  fear 
that  the  future  punishments  of  the  enemies  of  God, 
instead  of  being  lighter,  will  be  much  more  grievous, 


174  i-UTUKli  FUJNISHMENT. 

than  they  are  represented.  The  spirit  of  God  does 
not  hold  out  figures  that  exceed  the  reality  ;  and,  if 
tlie  lake  of  fire  and  everlasting  burnings  are  no  more 
than  metaphors,  good  God!  Avhat  will  the  real  tor- 
ments of  the  damned  be  ?  God  grant  that  none  of 
us  may  ever  feel  his  frowns ;  for,  believe  it,  it  is  a 
fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. 
Having  thus  offered  some  imperfect  observations 
as  to  the  nature  of  future  punishment,  I  proceed, 
in  the  third  place,  to  consider  its  duration.  There 
has  long  been  a  warm  dispute  about  this  point,  and 
it  is  now  becoming  a  popular  doctrine,  that  it  will 
be  only  for  a  limited  time.  Whilst  some,  from  the 
conviction  of  their  minds,  have  maintained,  that  it 
will  be  everlasting ;  others,  from  a  different  convic- 
tion, or  to  gain  proselytes  to  a  popular  doctrine, 
have  asserted,  that  the  wicked  will  be  punished  but 
for  a  time,  and  will  afterwards  be  received  into  glo- 
ry with  the  righteous. 

For  my  part,  I  should  be  loth  to  disturb  your 
peace,  by  endeavouring  to  maintain  the  contrary, 
were  it  not  that  1  consider  this  as  a  very  pernicious 
doctrine,  and  that  we  are  no  where  warranted  in 
Scripture  to  entertain  such  flattering  hopes. 

Men  who  are  amused  with  such  airy  fancies,  in- 
stead of  being  led  to  repentance  by  the  goodness  of 
God,  are  apt  to  sit  down  deliberately  to  count  the 
cost,  to  indulge  themselves  in  wickedness,  in  some 
measure,  with  the  hope  of  impunity  ;  and,  as  it  vv  ere, 
to  compound  with  their  Maker,  for  a  whole  life  of 
sin,  by  paying  the  forfeit  of  a  limited  punishment. 
They  use  the  kindness  of  God,  but  the  more  to  pro- 
voke him ;  or,  to  use  the  strikins;  and  eleirant  Ian- 


FUTURE  PUNISHMENT.  175 

guage  of  our  Saviour,  "  Their  eye  is  evil  because 
God  is  good.''  Thus,  they  are  led  by  these  mista- 
ken notions,  to  prolong  their  punishment,  if  it  be  but 
temporary ;  but,  if  it  should  chance  to  be  everlast- 
ing, they  lose  their  souls  forever. 

It  is  with  reluctance  that  I  enter  upon  this  subject; 
butj  to  guard  you  against  dangerous  deceptions,  you 
will  give  me  leave  to  try  the  force  of  an  argument 
or  two  upon  it. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  if  we  pay  any  regard  to 
the  Holy  oracles  of  God,  we  have  there,  the  plain- 
est and  most  awful  threatnings  of  everlasting  pun- 
ishment against  all  the  workers  of  iniquity.  Amongst 
the  many  passages  in  Scripture,  to  this  purpose,  I 
shall  only  instance  two  or  three.  See  the  36th 
verse  of  3d  chap.  John  :  '*  He  that  believeth  on  the 
Sou,  hath  everlasting  life ;  and  he  that  believeth 
not  the  Son,  shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him."  See,  also,  the  66th  chap.  Isa. 
24th  verse,  and  no  less  than  three  places  in  the  9th 
chap.  Mark,  read  to  the  same  purpose :  "  It  is  better 
to  go  to  Heaven  maimed,  than  to  go  into  Hell ;  into 
the  fire  that  shall  never  be  quenched,  where  the 
worm  dietli  not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  The 
chapter  we  have  read,  denounces  the  same  doom. 
And  I  shall  only  instance  further  in  the  revelation 
of  Saint  John  the  Divine;  "And  the  third  angel 
followed  them,  saying  with  a  loud  voice,  if  any 
man  worship  the  beast,  &c.  the  same  shall  drink  of 
the  wine  of  the  wrath  of  God,  which  is  poured  out 
without  mixture  into  the  cup  of  his  indignation; 
and  they  shall  be  tormented  with  fire  and  brimstone, 
and  the  smoke  of  their  torment  ascendeth  up  for 


176  FUTURE    PUNISHMENT. 

ever  and  everJ'  These  passages  are  so  plain  ami 
pointed,  that  it  is  a  wonder  that  there  should  be  any 
altercation  about  them.  But,  interested  men  have 
learned  the  art  of  turning  every  part  of  Scripture  to 
serve  their  own  opinions.  And  setting  up  their  own 
reason  as  their  guide,  have  contended,  that  it  is  in- 
consistent both  with  the  goodness  and  justice  of 
God;  to  punish  his  creatures  forever,  for  offences 
committed  in  a  small  space  of  time. 

But,  2dly.  The  demerit  of  sin  is  not  to  be  esti- 
mated by  the  time  of  its  commission,  but  rather  by 
its  nature  and  malignity.  In  human  discipline  we 
do  not  think  it  inconsistent  to  punish  a  malefactor 
with  perpetual  servitude,  or  with  death  itself,  for 
crimes  committed  in  an  instant  of  time.  But  the 
common  reply  to  this  objection,  and  at  the  same 
time  an  argument  for  the  eternity  of  punishment  is, 
that  sin  is  infinitely  aggravated ;  as  being  commit- 
ted against  God.  I  do  not  mean  to  strain  this  ar- 
gument very  far :  but  it  is  very  reasonable,  however, 
that  offences  are  more  or  less  aggravated  according 
to  the  innocence,  or  excellency  of  the  object  against 
whom  they  are  committed.  An  offence  against  an 
inferior,  is  worthy  of  stripes,  or  strict  reparation. 
An  offence  against  a  superior,  is  on  that  account  the 
more  highly  aggi'avated ;  and  treason  against  the 
King  or  the  supreme  Magistrate  of  any  government, 
is  punished  with  death.  And  by  parity  of  reason- 
ing, an  offence  against  the  King  of  Kings,  and 
Lord  of  Lords,  the  infinitely  pure  and  holy  God, 
must  be  of  infinite  demerit ;  and  consequently,  must 
create  an  obligation  to  infinite  punishment. 


FUTURE    PUNISHMENT.  177 

3dly.  However  men  may  argue  speculatively, 
upon  this  point,  the  sufferings  and  death  of  Christ, 
1  think,  put  the  matter  out  of  all  dispute.  If  a  fi- 
nite atonement  could  have  removed  the  guilt  of  sin, 
and  satisfied  the  justice  of  God,  no  doubt  Abraham 
had  been  permitted  to  offer  Isaac ;  but  when  an  in- 
finite sacriiice  was  required,  the  offence  must  cer- 
tainly have  been  infinitely  heinous,  and  of  conse- 
quence worthy  of  infinite  punishment.  We  cannot 
without  blasphemy,  suppose,  that  the  Father  was  so 
lavish  of  the  blood  of  his  only  begotten  Son,  as  to  pour 
it  out  without  necessity ;  and  if  so  costly  an  atone- 
ment was  necessary  to  the  salvation  of  them  that  be- 
lieve, certainly  a  mortal  creature  who  by  refusing  to 
believe,  takes  the  satisfaction  for  sin  upon  himself, 
must  necessarily  suffer  an  eternity  of  punishment, 
to  make  up  in  duration,  what  he  wants  in  dignity. 

4thly.  The  nature  of  sin  itself  presents  us  with 
a  solid  argument  upon  this  subject.  Sin,  in  general, 
may  be  described  in  two  particulars  :  the  one,  is  the 
want  of  conformity,  unto ;  the  other,  the  actual  trans- 
gression of  the  law  of  God.  I  shall  confine  myself 
for  the  present,  to  the  former  distinction,  and  if  the 
one  be  sufficient,  the  other  certainly  will  increase 
the  guilt.  Sin,  according  to  the  original  expression, 
signifies  literally,  to  miss  the  mark.  In  prosecution 
of  this  idea  of  it,  I  observe,  (as  it  is  agreed  upon 
all  hands,)  that  the  chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify 
God  and  to  enjoy  him  forever.  Now  when  we  di- 
rect our  aim  to  a  different  object,  we  miss  the  proper 
end  of  our  creation ;  and  as  an  arrow  shot  beyond 
the  mark,  the  longer  it  flies,  is  but  the  furtlier  dis- 
tant ;  so  the  soul  of  man  being  an  active  principle, 

23 


178  FUTURE    PUNISHMENT. 

and  destitute  of  original  righteousness,  must  wander 
further  and  further  from  God.  Now  the  only  method 
of  recovery,  is  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  with  strik- 
ing propriety  is  said  to  hring  us  back  to  God,  and 
unless  we  lay  hold  of  this  hope  that  is  set  before  us, 
>ve  must  eternally  wander  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power.  Accord- 
ingly it  is  said  of  the  wicked,  that  they  are  afar  off 
from  God.  And,  to  conclude  this  argument,  we 
may  observe  in  the  fifth  place,  that  the  day  of  God's 
grace  lasts  only  while  we  live.  If  we  die  filthy, 
we  must  be  filthy  still ;  for  there  is  no  working, 
nor  faith,  nor  repentance  in  the  grave  whither  we 
all  haste ;  but  as  the  tree  falleth,  so  it  lieth,  and 
as  death  leaveth  us,  so  will  judgment  find  us.  It 
is  a  fixed  decree,  that  without  holiness,  no  man  shall 
see  God :  and  our  Saviour  said  to  ISicodemus,  "  Ex- 
cept a  man  be  born  of  water  and  the  spirit,  he  can- 
not enter  into  the  Kingdom  of  God."  We  have 
reason  to  believe  also,  that  if  we  perish  finally,  we 
shall  continue  even  in  torment  to  sin  against  God. 
It  is  said  in  revelation,  where  there  is  a  description 
of  those  miserable  souls  that  suffer  under  the  pliials 
of  God's  wrath,  that  they  were  scorched  with  heat 
and  blasphemed  the  God  of  Heaven  because  of  their 
pains,  and  repented  not  to  give  God  glory.  But  if 
we  did  not  add  to  our  guilt,  if  we  should  be  so 
miserable  as  to  go  to  hell,  vain  would  be  all  our 
hopes  of  Heaven.  For,  if  we  die  unfit  for  tl)at  holy 
place,  the  longest  and  the  severest  punishment 
-would  not  entitle  us  to  it.  The  children  of  God 
themselves  suffer  punishment  in  Jesus  Christ;  that 
is,  he  suffered  it  for  them  ;  but  this  is  not  sufficient ; 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.         179 

for  by  the  grace  of  God,  they  must  be  made  holy 
here,  that  they  may  be  happy  hereafter:  And  if  with- 
out holiness  no  man  can  see  God,  miserable  beyond 
expression  must  be  their  fate  who  die  in  their  sins. 


ON  THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

"  Because  he  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the  which  he 
will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that  man 
whom  he  hath  ordained ;  whereof  he  hath  given 
assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised  hint 
from  the  deadJ^' 

Acts  17,  31st  verse. 

The  frequent  assurances  of  a  general  judgment 
which  are  given  in  Scripture,  serve  to  account, 
amongst  other  things,  for  the  unequal  distribution  of 
mercies,  and  of  punishments  in  the  present  life. 
Upon  any  other  supposition,  the  prosperity  of  the 
wicked,  and  the  calamities  of  righteous  men,  would 
hardly  be  consistent,  either  with  tiie  justice  or  good- 
ness which  we  ascribe  to  God.  David  seems  to 
have  been  an  attentive  observer  of  the  unequal  lot 
of  the  sinner  and  the  religious  man,  and  could  not 
discern  the  propriety  of  it,  until  he  went  into  the 
sanctuary  of  God,  and  saw  their  different  end.     If 


180         THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

we  should  subscribe  to  the  heresy  of  those  "who  con- 
tend that  there  will  be  no  future  state  of  retribution, 
we  must  either  deny  the  interposition  of  God's 
righteous  Providence,  or  call  in  question  his  justice 
and  benevolence.  The  latter  of  these  suppositions 
is  too  shocking  to  be  avowed  by  any ;  but  the  for- 
mer has  had  its  advocates.  They  have  represented 
the  aflTairs  of  men  as  too  trivial  to  attract  the  notice 
and  attention  of  the  Almighty.  But  this  is  to  di- 
minish his  greatness,  instead  of  extolling  it,  and  that 
at  the  expense  of  all  his  other  attributes.  Can  he 
be  wearied  or  embarrassed  by  a  multiplicity  of 
cares  ?  Is  it  to  be  supposed  that  he  should  make 
the  world  and  its  inhabitants,  without  any  regard  to 
the  administration  of  the  one,  or  the  transactions  of 
the  other  ?  Surely  not.  But,  it  may  be  asked,  if 
God  does  behold  the  affairs  of  men,  is  it  not  an  im- 
peacliment  of  his  justice,  that  good  men  should  be 
depressed  and  the  wicked  triumphant?  Why  does 
vice  pass  with  impunity  ?  And  why  does  virtue  suf- 
fer without  compensation  ?  '1  he  words  of  the  text 
solve  all  the  diflficulty  that  attends  this  question, 
and  afford  a  full  and  satisfactory  answer.  "  He 
hath  appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness."  We  will  first  attend  to 
what  the  Scriptures  inform  us  of  this  awful  and  im- 
portant truth,  and  then  recur  to  such  other  sources 
of  information,  as  may  further  serve  to  confirm  it. 
In  the  first  place,  then,  althou2;h  God  in  his  wise 
Providence  suffers  many  calamities  to  befal  the 
righteous,  and  permits  the  wicked  to  prosper  in  their 
wickedness,  he  has  not  left  the  former  comfortless, 
nor  withholden  his  testimony  against  the  latter.     To 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.         181 

the  one,  he  has  aJGTorded  the  most  certain  assurances 
of  a  happy  issue  out  of  all  their  troubles ;  and  to 
the  other,  he  has  given  the  most  solemn  denuncia- 
tions of  his  wrath. 

When  we  examine  the  sacred  records  of  God, 
we  will  find  indeed,  that  the  passages  which  con- 
tain this  doctrine,  are  neither  so  numerous,  nor  so 
clear  in  the  Old  Testament,  as  in  the  New.  But, 
in  neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  has  he  left  himself 
without  a  witness,  his  children  without  hope,  or  to 
his  enemies  any  colour  of  excuse.  This  ray  of 
Heavenly  hope,  darted  athwart  the  gloom  of  sorrow 
which  surrounded  Job,  and  cheered  his  afflictions 
with  the  prospect  of  happier  days.  "Though 
worms  destroy  this  body,"  says  he,  **  yet  in  ray  tlesh 
shall  1  see  God,  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself,  and 
my  eyes  behold  him.^'  The  revelation  of  this 
truth  also  corrected  the  errors  into  which  the  Psal- 
mist David  was  about  to  fall,  on  account  of  his  own 
distresses  and  the  prosperous  situation  of  wicked 
men.  "  I  was  envious  at  the  foolish,"  says  he, 
"  when  I  saw  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  until  I 
went  into  thy  sanctuary :  there  saw  I,  their  end. 
Surely  thou  didst  set  them  in  slippery  places." 
'^  The  Lord  cometh,"  says  he,  "  he  cometh  to  judge 
the  earth  ;  he  shall  judge  the  world  with  righteous- 
ness, and  the  people  with  his  truth." 

"  Let  us  hear,"  saith  Solomon,  "  the  conclusion 
of  the  whole  matter :  Fear  God  and  keep  his  com- 
mandments, for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man ;  for 
God  will  bring  every  work  into  judgment,  with  eve- 
ry secret  thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether  it 
be  evil." 


182        THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

I  might  nieiition  several  other  passages  of  similar 
import  in  the  writings  of  the  Prophets,  but  as  some, 
perhaps,  account  tliem  rather  equivocal  in  their 
meaning,  I  shall  pass  them  over  in  silence.  The 
Gospel  of  our  Saviour  abounds  in  the  most  pointed 
declarations  of  a  final  judgment.  The  Apostle 
Paul  represents  the  fallen  Angels  as  being  reserved 
in  chains  of  darkness  unto  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day.  And  of  sinful  and  impenitent  men,  he 
says,  that  ^'  they  treasure  up  unto  themselves  wrath 
against  the  day  of  wrath,  and  the  revelation  of  the 
righteous  judgment  of  God,  who  will  render  to  eve- 
ry man  according  to  his  deeds ;  to  them  who  by 
patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  seek  for  glory  and 
honour,  immortality  and  eternal  life  :  But  indigna- 
tion and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish  to  every 
soul  of  man  that  doeth  wickedly."  Saint  John  in 
20th  chapter  of  the  revelation  gives  us  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  dreadful  glory  of  the  Judge's  throne,  and 
the  solemnity  of  the  last  day.  "  And  I  saw  a  great 
white  throne,  and  him  that  sat  on  it :  And  1  saw  the 
dead,  small  and  great,  stand  before  God ;  and  the 
books  were  opened,  and  the  dead  were  judged,  out 
of  those  things  which  were  written  in  the  books, 
according  to  their  works.  And  the  sea  gave  up  the 
dead  that  were  in  it,  and  death  and  hell  delivered 
up  the  dead  which  were  in  them ;  and  they  were 
judged  every  man,  according  to  his  works."  And, 
finally,  our  blessed  Lord  himself  has  described  the 
process  of  the  general  judgment,  with  the  most  aw- 
ful majesty.  "When  the  son  of  man  shall  come 
in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels  with  him,  then 
shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory.     And  be- 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.         183 

fore  him  sball  be  gathered  all  nations  ;  and  he  shall 
separate  them,  one  from  another,  as  a  Shepherd  di- 
videth  his  sheep  from  the  goats  :  And  he  shall  set 
the  sheep  on  his  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the 
left.  Then  shall  the  King  say  unto  them  on  his 
right  hand.  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit 
the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation 
of  the  world.  Then  shall  he  say  also  unto  them 
on  the  left,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlast- 
ing fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  And 
these  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but 
the  righteous  into  life  eternal."  Such  then  is  the 
doctrine  which  the  Scriptures  teach  us  on  this  inte- 
resting subject.  But  in  as  much  as  the  Scriptures 
are  not  deemed  sufficient  authority  by  those  who  pre- 
tend to  have  discovered  that  they  are  cunning  fables, 
it  will  be  proper  to  observe,  that  there  are  also  other 
sources  of  information,  from  which  we  may  derive 
instruction  upon  this  important  matter. 

Independently  of  revelation,  it  seems  to  have  been 
the  universal  persuasion  of  the  world,  that  there 
■will  he  a  future  state  of  retribution.  The  more 
virtuous  of  the  Heathens,  comforted  themselves  un- 
der the  calamities  of  the  present  life,  by  the  pleas- 
ing prospect  of  the  Elysian  fields.  These  they 
supposed  were  allotted  for  the  habitation  of  upright 
meu,  where  their  attachment  to  virtue  should  meet 
"with  its  reward.  It  was  obvious  to  them,  that  in 
the  present  world,  there  was  nearly  the  same  lot  to 
the  virtuous  and  tiie  wicked,  the  just  and  the  unjust, 
the  philosopher  and  the  libertine ;  and  from  these 
observations  they  were  led  to  conclude,  that  some 
time  or  other,  the  dift'ereuce  between  the  two  >vould 


184         THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

be  finally  adjusted ;  the  one  should  be  rewarded, 
and  the  other  punished.  The  happy  plains  were 
prepared  for  a  retreat  to  the  wise  and  virtuous, 
whilst  the  wicked  were  doomed  after  this  life  to  the 
most  dreary  and  loathsome  abodes.  The  voice  of 
the  people  in  this  instance  may,  1  think,  be  reasona- 
bly considered  as  the  voice  of  God  to  man.  Though 
the  Heathen  were  not  favoured  with  the  light  of 
revelation,  yet  as  the  Apostle  Paul  has  expressed 
it,  they  were  a  law  unto  themselves.  God  had  en- 
graven it  on  their  hearts. 

Again,  the  very  frame  of  the  human  mind  affords 
evidence  in  support  of  this  truth.  Every  man  by 
appealing  to  what  passes  within  himself,  may  be 
very  well  satisfied,  that  some  time  or  other,  God 
will  assuredly  judge  the  world.  It  is  very  remarka- 
ble, that  he  hath  not  left  himself  without  a  witness. 
He  has  impressed  on  the  mind  of  man,  an  indeli- 
ble sense  of  right  and  wrong,  to  which  we  give  the 
general  name  of  conscience.  From  this  principle 
it  is,  that  we  derive  inward  satisfaction  from  the 
consciousness  of  upright  conduct;  and  from  this 
principle  it  is,  that  remorse  and  fear  pursue  us  in 
every  deviation  from  the  path  of  rectitude.  The 
Apostle  Paul  produced  this,  in  confirmation  of  re- 
vealed truth,  when  he  said  "  We  commend  our- 
selves to  every  man's  conscience."  And  of  the 
Gentiles,  who  had  not  the  law,  he  said,  that  they 
<' shewed  the  works  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts, 
their  conscience  also  bearing  witness,  and  their 
thoughts,  the  meanwhile,  accusing  or  else  excusing 
one  another."  This  conscience,  then,  this  universal 
sense  of  riarht  and  wrons;,  is  the  vicegerent  of  God 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.         186 

in  the  human  heart.  It  is  implanted  there  as  the 
centiuel  of  virtue,  and  the  monitor  of  guilt  It  sup- 
ports the  good  man  in  his  integrity  :  it  arrests  and 
condemns  the  wicked  for  his  sins.  It  applauds  the 
one  for  his  virtue ;  it  uphraids  the  other  for  his  vice  : 
it  presents  the  former  with  the  hopes  of  glory  ;  and 
it  alarms  the  latter  with  the  fears  of  punishment. 
The  sense  of  guilt  is  always  attended  with  the  fear 
of  judgment  either  here  or  hereafter.  It  destroys 
the  peace  and  tranquility  of  the  mind,  and  torments 
the  culprit  with  the  painful  forebodings  of  approach- 
ing ruin.  Whence  is  it  that  we  are  often  filled  with 
inward  terror,  when  the  w^orld  smiles  upon  us,  and 
there  is  nothing  apparently  to  make  us  afraid  ?  It 
proceeds  from  the  twinges  of  a  guilty  conscience, 
which  tells  us  we  have  done  wrong,  and  arrests  us 
for  our  crimes.  Whence  is  it,  that  when  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night  shall  have  secured  us  against  de- 
tection, and  precluded  the  apprehensions  of  tempo- 
ral punishment,  the  sense  of  guilt  still  haunts  our 
minds,  and  preys  upon  our  spirits  ?  It  is  conscience 
presenting  to  the  wicked  the  fear  of  something  af- 
ter death.  It  torments  us  before  the  time  by  sum- 
moning us  to  judgment.  Whence  is  it  that  the 
wicked  man  is  dismayed  and  feareth  where  no  fear 
is  ?  Why  does  he  startle  at  a  shadow  and  flee  when 
no  man  pursueth  ?  It  is  owing  to  this  universal  sense 
of  good  and  evil  desert,  wliich  ever  carries  with  it 
the  awful  sanction  of  rewards  and  punishments. 
We  have  a  remarkable  instance  of  this,  in  the  case  of 
Herod,  on  account  of  John  the  Baptist.  The  story 
is  well  known  of  his  beheading  the  Baptist  to  grati- 
fy the  humours  of  a  resentful  woman.     Therefore^ 

24 


186         THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

when  the  fame  of  Jesus  reached  the  ears  of  Herod, 
the  cruelty  of  the  murder  he  had  perpetrated,  re- 
curred to  his  miud,  and  filled  him  with  the  most 
dreadful  apprehensions.  His  fears  suggested,  that 
it  must  be  John  who  had  risen  w  itli  power  to  take 
vengeance  on  him.  He  said,  "that  John  the  Bap- 
tist was  risen  from  the  dead,  an«l  therefore,  mighty 
works  do  shew  forth  themselves  in  him."  But  some, 
to  pacify  him,  probably,  said  it  was  Elias  ;  and 
others  said,  that  it  is  a  Prophet.  But  all  this  would 
not  appease  the  clamours  of  a  guilty  conscience. 
No,  said  the  wretched  Tetrarch,  "It  is  John  whom 
1  beheaded,  he  is  risen  from  the  dead.''  The  situa- 
tion of  Felix  was  somewhat  similar  to  this,  save, 
that  his  crimes  were  more  numerous,  and  if  possi- 
ble, more  aggravated.  When  Paul  reasoned  before 
him  of  truth  and  righteousness,  he  discovered  no 
emotion.  But  when  he  mentioned  a  judgment  to 
come,  his  guilt  acknowledged  its  obligation  to  pun- 
ishment and  Kelix  trembled.  This,  in  different  de- 
giees,  is  the  same  in  all  bad  men ;  it  seems  insepa- 
rable from  our  very  nature.  What  then  can  be  the 
reason  of  this  ?  And  what  does  it  indicate  ?  Can 
this  principle  be  implanted  in  us,  for  no  other  pur- 
pose but  to  disquiet  and  torment  us  ?  "So  :  This 
awful  trial  at  the  tribunal  of  conscience,  is  but  the 
anticipation  of  a  more  solemn  and  decisive  judg- 
ment at  the  tribunal  of  God. 

Permit  me  to  observe,  once  more  upon  this  sub- 
ject, that  the  very  reason  and  nature  of  the  thing, 
render  a  future  judgment  and  retribution,  extremely 
probable,  if  not  absolutely  certain.  If  it  be  ac- 
knowledged that  God  is  a  lover  of  truth  and  jus- 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.         187 

tice,  integrity  and  mercy ;  auvl  tliat  the  opposite 
vices  are  the  objects  of  his  abhorreucx*,  and  detesta- 
tion, is  it  not  reasonably  to  be  expectt<l,  that  he 
will  some  time  or  other  testify  his  approbaUon  of 
pious  and  Godly  men,  and  make  known  his  dis- 
pleasure against  the  sons  of  falsehood,  injustice, 
treachery  and  violence  ?  That  he  will  one  day  es- 
pouse the  cause  of  his  obedient  and  faithful  ser- 
vants, and  take  vengeance  on  his  adversaries  ?  To 
suppose  the  contrary,  would  be  to  suppose  that  pie- 
ty and  virtue,  irreverence  and  vice,  that  justice  and 
humanity,  cruelty  and  fraud,  were  all  alike  to  him; 
and  that  he  neither  loved  the  one  nor  hated  the  other. 
If,  therefore,  there  ip  no  marked  distinction  made 
between  them  here,  in  the  situation  of  those  who 
respectively  practise  them,  is  it  not  certain  that  a 
wide  difference  will  be  made  hereafter?  Will  not 
the  God  of  justice  punish  the  guilty?  Will  not  the 
God  of  grace  protect  the  obedient  and  reward  the 
faithful  ?  But,  in  the  present  world  it  is  evident 
that  this  is  not  the  case.  It  is  long  since  the  wise 
man  observed,  that  ^'  It  happened  to  the  righteous 
a,ccording  to  the  works  of  the  wicked ;  and  to  the 
wicked,  according  to  the  work  of  the  righteous." 
The  Psalmist  also  complained,  that  the  righteous 
were  involved  in  calamities,  whilst  the  wicked  flour- 
ished "  like  a  green  bay  tree."  We  see  plainly,  in- 
deed, that  there  is  an  essential  difference  in  the  con- 
duct and  character  of  men.  There  are  some,  who 
from  the  fairest  estimation  that  we  can  make,  are 
honest,  upright,  and  pious  men.  They  maintain 
their  integrity,  in  their  worldly  intercourse.  'J^hey 
are  consciencious  in  their  dealings,  true  to  theu*  word, 


188         THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

merciful  in  their  Jisposition,  and  sober  in  their 
general  deportment.  They  appear  also,  as  far  as 
we  can  jn-i§e>  to  fear  and  love  God,  to  reverence  his 
nsLmc,  and  pay  respect  to  his  commandments.  But 
fliese  characters  are  contrasted  by  others  in  every 
point  of  view.  They  observe  none  of  these  things  : 
They  are  fraudulent,  false,  insidious :  They  are 
cruel  and  implacable,  unjust  and  oppressive. — 
They  traduce  the  innocent ;  they  trample  on  tlie 
helpless  ;  they  over-reach  the  simple ;  they  defraud 
the  widow  and  the  orphan  ;  they  grind  and  oppress 
the  poor ;  they  pay  no  respect  to  God  their  maker  ; 
they  profane  his  holy  name ;  and  they  violate  his 
sacred  laws.  In  short,  they  fear  not  God,  nor  re- 
gard man.  We  observe  a  striking  difference  in 
these  two  characters,  but  we  do  not  see  the  same 
difference  in  their  lot.  The  virtuous  do  not  meet 
with  that  prosperity,  nor  with  that  favour  from  their 
fellow-men,  which  their  virtue  seems  to  merit ;  nor 
are  the  unrighteous  visited  with  those  afflictions 
which  their  crimes  deserve.  No  :  the  case  is  more 
frequently  reversed.  It  happens  to  the  wicked  ac- 
cording to  the  works  of  the  righteous,  and  vice  versa. 
The  virtuous  suffer  and  the  wicked  prosper.  Tears 
are  often  the  repast  of  the  Godly,  while  the  ungod- 
ly are  revelling  in  mirth  and  wine.  The  rich  man 
fared  sumptuously  every  day,  while  Lazarus  lay  at 
his  gate  a  beggar.  God  seems  entirely  to  have  for- 
gotten the  just ;  he  suffers  them  to  endure  perils,  and 
nakedness,  and  hunger  and  thirst.  Nay,  one  of 
his  promises  to  them  is,  that  in  this  world  they  sliall 
have  tiibulation  He  seems  to  declare  himself  here 
on  the  side  of  the  wicked.     He  suffers  them  to  pros- 


THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT.  189 

pot  in  their  wickedness.  Their  eyes  stand  out  with 
fatness  ;  they  are  permitted  here  to  carry  it  with  a 
high  hand  ;  they  oppress  the  meek,  and  increase 
their  own  subst.ince  by  their  ruins  ;  they  strip  them 
of  their  goods,  and  laugh  them  and  their  religion  to 
scorn.  Their  very  religion  seems  to  entail  calamity 
upon  them  in  this  world.  It  inculcates  the  forgive- 
ness, not  the  revenge  of  injuries.  They  are  to  be 
patient,  submissive,  and  innocent ;  and  when  they 
are  reviled,  they  are  not  to  revile  again,  nor  to  re- 
turn railing  for  railing.  One  would  think  indeed, 
that  the  practice  of  such  virtues  should  secure  them 
from  the  persecutions  of  the  world.  But  where  has 
it  been  known,  that  the  innocence  of  the  lamb  pro- 
tected him  from  the  rapacity  of  the  wolf?  The 
world  declares  itself  against  them,  and  the  sons  of 
violence  triumph  over  them.  Witness  the  number- 
less victims  that  fell  in  the  repeated  persecutions 
under  the  Roman  Emperors,  and  also  on  various 
other  occasions.  Men,  of  whom  the  world  was  not 
worthy,  have  been  accounted  not  worthy  to  live, 
and  have  been  accordingly  put  to  death  on  account 
of  their  religion.  And,  in  every  age  of  the  world, 
they  have  been  derided.  And  will  this  always  be 
the  case  ?  Shall  the  favours  of  the  Almighty  be 
the  only  punishment  of  vice  ?  And  sufferings,  con- 
tempt and  sneer,  the  only  recompense  of  virtue  ?  It 
cannot  be.  Surely,  (jod  some  time  or  other,  will  re- 
member the  sufferings  and  fidelity  of  his  people : 
he  will  come  to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness, 
and  give  to  every  man  according  to  his  deeds.  Such 
is  the  reason  of  things.  It  belongs  also  to  this  part 
of  the  subject,  to  observe,   that  the   very   nature 


190         THE  GENERAL  JUDGMENT. 

of  virtue,  and  in  many  instances,  of  vice,  requires 
that  tliere  siiould  be  a  general  aud  a  public  trial. 
There  are  many  virtuous  exertions  and  exercises  of 
the  religious,  that  are  necessarily  concealed  from  the 
world.  Self-examination,  self-denial,  confession  of 
sin,  contrition  for  it,  and  humiliation  before  God, 
are  of  this  kind.  There  are  some  transactions  al- 
so, which  are  only  virtuous,  in  proportion  as  they 
are  secret,  or  intended  to  be  so.  To  this  class  be- 
long the  distribution  of  alms,  and  the  devotions  of 
the  closet,  in  which  the  Christian  is  not  to  sound  a 
trumpet  before  him,  but  address  himself  to  God  who 
seeth  in  secret.  The  purity  of  the  heart,  humble 
resignation  to  the  will  of  God,  and  trust  in  his  pro- 
mises are  highly  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  but  are 
in  a  great  measure  concealed  from  the  observation 
of  men.  The  meek  and  humble  Christian  often 
walks  obscurely  through  life,  disregarded,  or  per- 
haps despised  by  the  world.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  are  many  vices  also  which  lurk  secretly  in 
the  heart,  and  which  fail  of  opportunities  to  come 
forth  in  practice.  There  are  many  also  which  are 
committed  under  a  veil ;  many  works  of  darkness 
which  are  concealed  from  the  world. 

In  all  such  instances,  then,  justice  seems  to  re- 
quire, that  the  obscure  and  humble  Christian  should 
be  exalted,  and  publicly  receive  the  praise  of  God. 
It  is  obvious,  tiiat  our  Saviour  intended  this,  when 
he  said,  "  Thy  Father  w  ho  seeth  in  secret,  sliall 
reward  thee  openly."  It  is  highly  proper  also,  that 
the  secret  workers  of  iniquity  should  be  brought 
forth  to  light ;  that  the  mask  should  be  stripped 
off,  and  their  w  orks  of  darkness  made  manifest ;  in 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS.      191 

order  that  the  final  sentence  may  be  justified  by  the 
assembled  universe.  In  short,  reason  and  justice 
require,  that  all  men  should  one  day  appear  in  their 
proper  colours,  and  be  finally  judged  according  to 
their  real  character. 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  TO  US  OF 
FUTURE  EVENTS. 

"  JFbr  he  Jcnoweth  not  that  which  shall  be  ;  for  who 
can  tell  him  when  it  shall  he  ?" 

Ecclesiastes,  8th  chap,  7th  verse. 

The  narrow  limits  to  which  the  knowledge  of 
man  extends,  is  a  subject  of  common  observation, 
and  too  frequently  of  complaint.  Our  perception  of 
things  in  the  present  state  of  being  is  so  faint,  that 
we  can  only  see  a  few  objects  which  are  near  at 
hand,  and  even  them  but  indistinctly :  For  "  we 
see,"  as  the  Apostle  has  expressed  it,  ''^  through  a 
glass  darkly."  Inquisitive  minds  are  apt  to  be  dis- 
contented with  this,  and  make  that  consideration  to 
excite  their  murmurs,  which  should  rather  be  im- 
proved to  suppress  their  vanity.  In  addition  to  this; 
there  seems  to  be  a  prevailing  desire  in  men,  to  pry 
into  futurity,  and  anticipate  the  events  that  are  to 


192        THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

befal  them,  in  the  various  stages  of  their  progress 
through  life.  It  has  been  supposed  that  it  would 
contribute  much  to  the  promotion  of  our  temporal 
interest,  if  we  could  know  before-hand  the  many 
favourable  opportunities  which  the  succession  of 
time  alone  presents.  The  avoiding  of  the  calami- 
ties of  life,  which  w^e  inconsiderately  call  accidents, 
would  also  be  another  very  desirable  acquisition  of 
this  extensive  foresight.  By  this  estimation  too, 
men  are  led  to  suppose  that  it  would  be  highly  con- 
ducive to  their  most  important  interests  in  the  future 
"W^orld,  if  they  could  be  apprised  of  the  time  of  their 
death.  On  a  due  preparation  for  this  great  event, 
their  eternal  happiness  depends,  and  it  would  seem 
to  be  a  great  advantage,  if  they  knew  precisely 
their  appointed  time.  In  this  case  they  would  know 
how  to  regulate  the  business  of  their  lives,  and 
■would  not  be  in  perpetual  hazard  of  being  cut  ofip 
in  the  midst  of  their  sins,  while  they  w  ere  indulg- 
ing their  pleasures  of  the  present  moment,  or  ex- 
tending their  prospects  into  future  life.  The  aged, 
indeed,  could  not  reasonably  calculate  on  any  great 
length  of  days  ;  and  their  time  of  life  would,  of  it- 
self, admonish  them  to  retire  from  the  bustle,  and 
profits,  and  vices  of  the  world ;  but  the  young 
would  seem  to  stand  in  need  of  some  security 
against  the  suddenness  of  surprize.  Such  reason- 
ing appears  at  first  view,  to  be  very  plausible,  and 
to  have  considerable  weight  j.for,  really  it  does  seem, 
that  to  know  certainly  the  time  of  our  dissolution 
would  have  a  great  tendency  to  check  the  presump- 
tion of  youth,  and  restore  that  activity  to  the  old, 
which  their  years  have  taken  from  them. 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS.   193 

I  hope,  therefore,  it  will  not  be  time  mispent,  to 
enter  more  minutely  into  the  consideration  of  this 
subject.  The  investigation  of  the  premises  will 
serve  to  convince  us,  that  the  present  disposition  of 
affairs  is,  on  the  whole,  the  best ;  and  that  it  is  a 
mark  both  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  that 
lie  has  concealed  from  us  not  only  the  future  scenes 
of  life,  but  also  the  time  of  our  final  departure. 

From  the  present  situation  of  the  world,  it  is  al- 
together necessary  that  we  should  meet  with  sorrow 
and  tribulation.  These  are  the  inevitable  conse- 
quence of  sin,  and  the  standing  marks  of  God's  dis- 
pleasure. On  this  account,  the  Apostle  says,  "  The 
whole  creation  groaneth."*  If  men  were  innocent, 
the  permission  of  these  might  be  considered  as  a 
charge  against  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  but 
as  they  are  involved  in  guilt  and  exposed  to  ruin, 
the  impeachment  of  God's  justice  gives  way  to  the 
acknowledgment  and  admiration  of  his  mercy.  An 
uninterrupted  series  of  earthly  prosperity,  would 
confirm  men  in  the  forgetfulness  of  their  Creator,  and 
of  themselves.  But  afflictions  have  a  tendency 
to  put  them  in  remembrance  of  their  sins,  and  of 
''  working  out  for  them,"  according  to  the  language 
of  Scripture,  "a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory."  The  design,  and  frequently  the 
happy  effect  of  them,  is  to  wean  our  affections  from 
this  world,  and  engage  us  to  seek  a  better  country, 
even  a  Heavenly.  Now,  if  these  were  entirely  sus- 
pended, or  we  were  endued  with  such  forecast,  as 
to  enable  us  to  foresee  and  avoid  them,  not  only 
these  good  purposes  would  be  altogether  frustrated, 
but  we  would  be  encouraged  to  run  into  many  fatal 

25 


194   THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

excesses,  from  which  we  would  otherwise  refrain. 
A  very  material  difference  would  take  place  to  our 
disadvantage ;  for  instead  of  considering  our  afflic- 
tions as  the  consequence  of  our  sins,  we  should  con- 
sider our  prosperity  as  the  reward  of  our  merits. 
As  events  are  now,  the  common  bounties  of  God's 
Providence  are  undeserved  mercies,  and  even  the 
corrections  of  his  rod  are  blessings  in  disguise  ;  but 
as  we  would  have  them  by  this  alteration,  all  afflic- 
tions would  be  called  cruelty,  and  his  goodness  on- 
ly would  be  just.  It  is  easy  to  see,  then,  that  such 
a  dispensation  of  things  would  be  illy  suited  to  our 
real  situation,  as  guilty  sinners. 

From  the  attention  we  have  given  to  the  subject,  in 
this  point  of  view,  we  may  already  venture  to  con- 
clude, that  it  would  contribute  nothing  to  our  happi- 
ness, if  our  desires  should  be  gratified,  and  we 
had  a  foreknowledge  of  the  different  scenes  of  life 
through  which  we  had  to  pass.  We  see  from  the 
whole  face  of  nature,  as  well  as  from  the  word  of 
God,  that  sin  and  sorrow  are  inseparable  compan- 
ions. A  total  exemption,  then,  is  not  to  be  expected. 
But,  were  we  even  secure  ourselves  against  the 
reach  of  calamity,  which  is  far  from  being  the  case, 
we  must  still  be  involved  in  the  distresses  of  our 
friends.  To  know  them  before-hand,  would  be  to 
make  them  more  grievous,  for  we  could  not  avoid  an- 
ticipating them  before  they  arrived.  Like  a  heavy 
weight,  they  would  continually  depress  our  spirits, 
and  our  imagination  would  paint  them  in  more 
gloomy  colours  than  they  really  deserved.  In  most 
cases,  I  believe,  they  Mould  be  fiir  less  oppressive 
by  coming  unexpectedly.     We  may  add  to  this. 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS.   195 

that  the  previous  knowledge  of  them,  would  dis- 
qualify us  for  relishing  the  enjoyments  of  the  pre- 
sent time.  Perfect  happiness  is  utterly  inconsistent 
with  our  present  situation,  but  God  has  graciously 
ordained,  that  we  should  not  be  completely  wretch- 
ed. There  is  a  mixture  of  pleasure  and  of  pain ;  but 
Were  this  alteration  to  be  made,  the  former  would 
be  banished  the  earth.  Any  comfortable  circum- 
stances in  which  we  might  be  placed,  would  be  em- 
bittered by  the  painful  forebodings  of  approachiug 
evil.  Even  the  noise  and  sprightliness  of  mirth 
and  festivity,  would  subside  into  silent  pensive  me- 
lancholy, from  the  anticipation  of  the  doleful  scene 
with  which  it  would  be  concluded.  Most  proba- 
bly we  should  have  sunk  under  the  misfortunes 
which  we  have  already  surmounted,  if  they  had 
found  our  spirits  exhausted  by  the  long  expectation 
of  them.  And  did  we  know  all  the  scenes  of  sor- 
row through  which  we  have  yet  to  pass,  it  is  liardly 
to  be  doubted,  but  that  every  countenance  in  this 
assembly  would  bear  many  marks  of  sadness. — 
That  active  fancy  Avhich  now  perhaps  gilds  our  pre- 
sent prospects,  would  be  employed  in  depicting  all 
the  wretchedness  of  woe.  Were  the  prosperous 
and  opulent  apprised,  that  in  the  vicissitude  of  hu- 
man afl'airs,  their  situation  should  be  reversed,  and 
they  would  end  their  days  in  poverty  and  want,  the 
unwelcome  prospect  would  be  continually  preying 
on  their  spirits.  They  would  think  themselves  im- 
poverished in  the  midst  of  plenty,  and  long  before 
the  event  took  place,  they  would  bid  adieu  to  all 
their  greatness.  Did  the  vigorous  and  blooming 
know,  that  in  a  few  days  they  would  be  stretched  on 


196   THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

a  bed  of  sickness,  such  information  would  not  onlj 
deprive  them  of  the  enjo^  ment  of  health,  but  hasten 
the  catastrophe  by  a  previous  disposition. 

With  our  friends  too,  we  are  intimately  concerned; 
our  own  happiness  depends  in  a  great  measure  on 
them.  We  rejoice  with  those  that  rejoice,  and  weep 
with  those  that  weep.  An  addition  to  our  knowledge 
in  this  case  also,  would  be  but  an  addition  to  our 
tears.  Our  children,  for  instance ;  we  rejoice  at 
their  nativity,  and  our  fond  prospects  increase  with 
their  years.  We  know  indeed,  that  they  are  born 
into  a  world  in  which  danger  and  trouble  abound ; 
but  we  invoke  the  blessing  of  God  upon  them,  in 
liumble  confidence,  that  he  will  protect  and  guide 
them.  We  entertain  many  an  anxious  fear  on  their 
account,  but  hope  prevails.  Were  we  permitted 
to  pry  into  their  future  destiny,  and  see  the  afflic- 
tions marked  in  their  lot,  in  ten  thousand  instances 
the  joy  that  sparkles  in  the  fond  parents'  eyes,  and 
fills  their  hearts,  would  disappear,  and  prophetic 
sadness  take  its  place.  This  blindness  to  the  future, 
then,  is  kindly  given.  It  may,  perliaps,  strengthen 
this  persuasion  to  remark  here,  on  the  great  un happi- 
ness which  many  persons  bring  upon  themselves  by 
the  groundless  fears  of  imaginary  evils.  1  mean 
those  who  terrify  themselves  by  the  interpretation 
of  their  dreams.  These  are  construed  into  omens 
or  warnings  of  some  calamity,  which  is  soon  to  be- 
fal  them.  Tliey  have  a  powerful  efl'ect  on  supersti- 
tious minds,  and  are  made  the  source  of  great  and 
constant  uneasiness.  Their  fancy  goes  in  quest  of 
adventures  by  night,  and  they  employ  their  waking 
hours  in  watching  for  their  accomplishiuent. 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS.   197 

I  shall  not  go  into  any  enquiry  after  the  origin 
or  import  of  dreams.  I  only  introduce  them  for  the 
sake  of  observing,  that  if  the  groundless  apprehen- 
sion of  evils,  be  made  the  cause  of  so  much  disqui- 
etude, the  certain  fore-knowledge  of  them  would  be 
much  more  tormenting,  and  produce  despair  instead 
of  fear.  But,  it  has  been  observed,  that  life  does 
not  consist  of  evils  only ;  many  blessings  are  also 
bestowed  to  qualify  the  cup  of  affliction.  Let  us 
suppose,  then,  the  case  to  be  reversed,  and  that,  in 
the  midst  of  our  distresses,  we  were  consoled  by  the 
assurance  of  prosperous  and  happy  days.  Would 
not  the  fore-knowledge  of  them  be  an  unspeakable 
advantage?  AVould  it  not  efl'ectually  support  the 
mind,  and  prevent  much  murmuring  and  discon- 
tent? 

If  we  take  into  the  account,  our  future,  as  well 
as  present  happiness,  this  situation,  in  all  proba- 
bility, would  be  worse  than  the  former.  The  one 
seems  unfriendly  to  the  prospects  of  time ;  the  other 
would  be  as  much  so,  to  the  more  important  inter- 
ests of  eternity.  Such  a  fore-knowledge,  however, 
would  not  be  so  conducive  as  might  be  imagined, 
even  to  our  present  happiness.  It  would,  inevitably, 
lead  to  some  disappointment.  The  desired  object 
would  seldom  prove  equal  to  the  fond  ideas  which 
it  had  excited,  and  we  would  find  less  of  enjoyment 
in  the  possession,  than  we  promised  ourselves  in  the 
pursuit.  This  almost  always  proves  to  be  the  case 
with  blessings  merely  temporal.  But,  as  far  as  the 
prospect  operates,  it  would  thwart  all  the  designs 
and  purposes  of  afflictions.  These  should  be  im- 
proved, to  wean  our  affections  from  this  w  orld,  and 


198   THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

teach  us  to  seek  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  where  all 
tears  shall  be  wiped  away  forever.  It  would  make 
us  too  well  pleased  with  our  present  situation,  and 
totally  negligent  of  the  Heavenly  inheritance.  If, 
as  has  been  suggested,  it  would  secure  us  from  im- 
patience and  repining,  in  adverse  circumstances,  it 
would  also  remove  the  necessary  trials  of  our  vir- 
tue, and  supersede  the  exercise  of  submission  and 
resignation  to  the  providence  of  God.  On  the  whole, 
then,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  pry  into  those  things 
which  God  has  been  pleased  to  conceal,  we  ought 
rather  adore  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God  in  the 
present  disposition  of  affairs. 

As  to  the  tendency  of  these  supposed  circumstan- 
ces, to  increase  our  earthly  treasures,  it  proceeds 
upon  a  mistaken  calculation,  which  is  scarcely  worth 
the  rectifying.  I  shall,  therefore,  pass  on  to  consi- 
der, briefly,  the  other  part  of  the  subject,  which  re- 
lates to  the  previous  knowledge  of  our  death. 

This  has  been  within  the  secret  wishes  of  many, 
and  on  a  superficial  view  of  the  subject,  it  would 
appear  a  desirable  acquisition.  We  should  be  in- 
clined to  think  it  would  assist  us  much  in  our  prepa- 
ration for  this  important  event,  to  know,  precisely, 
when  it  would  happen.  The  young,  particularly, 
would  not  devote  the  prime  and  vigor  of  their  lives 
to  pleasure,  and  to  sin,  if  they  knew  that  they  m  ould 
never  arrive  to  manhood.  They  would  begin  their 
days  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  engage,  with  earnest- 
ness in  the  duties  of  religion,  if  the  deceitful  hope 
of  a  long  and  a  prosperous  life  were  once  taken  from 
them. 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS*   199 

That  this  would  universally  be  the  case,  seems, 
to  many,  highly  probable;  yet,  it  is  far  from  be- 
ing certain.  But,  if  it  be  granted,  that  it  should, 
what  would  become  of  the  improvements  of  this 
world  ?  The  strength  and  activity  of  the  young, 
who  are  most  inclined  to  vigorous  enterprise,  would 
be  lost  to  society.  They  would  seclude  themselves 
from  the  company  and  the  concerns  of  men.  They 
would  consider  themselves  as  having  no  interest 
here,  and  would,  therefore,  be  too  indifferent  about 
the  duties  of  social  and  domestic  life.  They  would 
withdraw  from  the  society  of  men,  retire  into  the 
gloominess  of  solitude,  and  sequester  themselves 
from  all  the  busy  scenes  of  life.  The  consequence 
would  be,  that  a  great  part  of  the  world  would  be 
uncomfortable  to  themselves,  and  entirely  useless, 
if  not  a  burthen  to  society.  Cities  would  be  slow  ia 
rising;  improvement  in  Literature  would  receive  a 
check;  the  Arts  and  Sciences  languish.  The  du- 
ties of  our  relative  situation,  would  be  held  iu  low 
estimation,  and  the  designs  of  Providence,  with  re- 
gard to  the  affairs  of  time,  in  a  great  measure  frus- 
trated. 

Besides,  what  a  melancholy  prospect  would 
such  a  situation  of  affairs  present?  A  perpetual 
gloom  would  hang  on  the  countenances  of  those  who 
were  doomed,  in  their  youth,  to  death.  They  would 
be  like  criminals  under  sentence  of  condemnation, 
without  hope  of  reprieve.  They  would  wear  a  pen- 
sive melancholy  look,  which  would  also  depress  the 
spirits  of  all  that  beheld  them.  On  every  side,  we 
should  hear  the  voice  of  mourning.  The  father's 
joy  would  be  turned  into  giief,  and  many  a  Rachael 


200   THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

would  weep  for  her  children,  as  though  they  already 
were  not.  The  brother,  the  sister,  and  the  friend^ 
would  all  share  in  the  general  distress. 

Neither  does  it  appear,  that  these  circumstances 
would  be  as  favourable  to  religion,  as  we  at  first 
imagined.  They  would,  in  a  great  degree,  preclude 
a  deliberate  choice.  Our  actions  would  be  the  ef- 
fect of  constraint,  and  proceed  from  a  principle  of 
fear  rather  than  of  love. 

Add  to  this,  that  our  friends  would  consider  it  a 
charitable  office  to  divert  our  minds  as  much  as 
possible  from  our  approaching  fate.  A  variety  of 
amusements  and  of  company,  would  be  employed, 
for  the  purpose.  In  order  to  gain  a  little  ease,  we 
ourselves  would  probably  be  disposed  to  favor  the 
cheat,  until  the  number  of  our  days  would  be  ful- 
filled, and  we  should  die  suddenly,  that  is,  unex- 
pectedly, at  last. 

But,  again,  upon  this  supposition,  there  would  be 
those  who  would  know  that  they  had  a  great  ma- 
ny days  before  them,  and  that  they  should  live  to 
an  advanced  age.  Such  a  fore-knowledge  would 
certainly  be  unfavorable  to  the  interests  of  religion, 
and  of  their  own  souls.  If,  in  the  instance  before 
mentioned,  men  should  be  excited  to  a  speedy  pre- 
paration for  eternity,  from  the  certain  intimation, 
that  the  time  was  short,  in  the  one  now  before  us, 
the  assurance  of  a  long  life,  would  have  a  contrary 
effect,  and  prove  a  great  encouragement  to  all  man- 
ner of  vice.  In  vain  would  you  exhort  them  to 
"Remember  their  Creator  in  the  days  of  their 
youth.''  Such  an  exhortation  would  be  highly  pro- 
per to  those  who  should  not  survive  that  period,  but 


THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS.   201 

to  those  who  could  count  on  fifty,  sixty,  or  seventy 
years,  or  more,  it  would  be  quite  unseasonable,  if  not 
wholly  impertinent.  The  most  pressing  calls  and  ad- 
monitions of  the  Gospel,  would  receive  no  better  an- 
swer than,  "  Oo  your  way  for  this  time;  sixty  years 
hence  will  be  time  enough  for  me  to  think  of  reli- 
gion. I  will  rejoice  in  my  strength,  my  heart  shall 
cheer  me  in  the  days  of  my  youth,  and  when  the 
time  draws  nigh,  when  old  age  arrives,  and  I  can 
no  longer  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  life,  then  I  will  call 
for  you."  When  we  consider  the  depravity  of  hu- 
man nature,  its  proneness  to  evil,  and  its  aversion 
for  that  which  is  good,  there  does  not  remain  a  doubt 
but  that  this  would  be  the  case.  As  Providence 
now  stands,  we  see  that  men  will  not  be  deterred 
from  the  commission  of  the  most  deadly  sins,  when 
they  do  not  know  but  that  they  may  be  cut  oS  in 
the  very  act  of  perpetration,  and  be  summoned  to 
appear  at  the  bar  of  God.  The  uncertainty  of  life 
is,  in  most  cases,  a  powerful  restraint;  but  what 
would  be  the  consequence,  if  this  were  taken  off? 
Who,  then,  would  be  afraid  to  sin,  especially  when 
they  recollected  that  they  would  have  suflBcient 
warning,  and  time  enough  to  repent?  They  would, 
therefore,  indulge  themselves  in  the  gratification  of 
their  wicked  inclinations ;  they  would  wal  k  in  the 
sight  of  their  own  eyes,  and  according  to  the  ima- 
ginations of  their  hearts,  having  none  to  make  them 
afraid.  They  would  give  a  loose  to  licentiousness, 
and  iniquities  would  abound  more  and  more.  And, 
I  pray  you,  what  an  uncomfortable  and  tumultuous 
scene  would  this  world  be.  Indeed,  it  is  bad  enough 
now.      Men  of  piety  and  religion  have  sufficient 

26 


202   THE  UNCERTAINTY  OF  FUTURE  EVENTS. 

cause  to  mourn  for  their  own  sins,  and  the  sins  of 
the  land.  But,  let  the  fear  of  death  be  removed, 
and  a  torrent  of  iniquity  would  bear  down  all  be- 
fore it.  We  should  be  beset  on  all  sides,  with  the 
violence  of  the  rude,  the  snares  of  the  designing,  the 
deceit  of  the  fraudulent,  and  the  cruelties  of  the 
oppressive.  But  the  presumption  is,  that  we  would 
repent  of  all  these,  and  make  our  peace  with  God 
when  the  time  of  our  death  approached.  This  would 
not  take  us  by  surprise ;  and,  therefore,  we  would  be 
prepared  for  it.  In  this,  too,  we  reckon  without  our 
host.  Sin  is  not  only  fatal  in  its  consequences,  but 
hardening  in  its  nature.  The  frequent  repetition  of 
it  renders  the  conscience  callous,  and  sears  it  as  with 
a  hot  iron.  "  Exhort  one  another  daily,"  says  the 
Apostle,  '^  while  it  is  called  to-day,  lest  any  of  you 
be  hardened,  through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin." — : 
There  is  such  a  thing  as  sinning  away  our  day  of 
grace :  that  is,  of  becoming  so  hardened  in  iniquity, 
as  to  be  proof  against  all  the  ordinary  means  which 
God  has  ordained  for  our  recovery.  If,  therefore,  we 
wilfully  persisted  in  our  sins,  which  we  should  cer- 
tainly do,  but  for  the  preventing  grace  of  God,  there 
would  be  the  greatest  danger  that  we  should  pro- 
voke him  to  withdraw,  entirely,  the  influences  of  his 
Spirit,  and  give  us  up  to  hardness  of  heart  and  a 
reprobate  mind.  There  is  a  very  alarming  exam- 
ple of  this  in  Scripture :  "  Ephraim  is  joined  to  his 
idols,"  says  God,  ^*  let  him  alone."  It  is  a  very 
mistaken  notion,  that  we  can  indulge  ourselves  in 
the  pleasures  of  sin,  through  the  course  of  our  lives, 
and  when  the  time  comes  that  we  can  no  longer  en- 
joy them^  we  can  then  repent,  and  devote  the  mise- 


ON  PRAYER.  203 

rable  refuse  of  our  days  to  God.  Repentance  is  his 
gift ;  and  this  he  has  threatened  to  withhold.  "  Be- 
cause 1  have  called/'  says  he,  "and  ye  have  refu- 
sed ;  I  have  stretched  out  my  hands,  and  no  man  re- 
garded ;  therefore,  1  will  laugh  at  your  calamity^, 
and  mock  when  your  fear  cometh." 


ON  PRAVER. 

'^  But  in  every  thhif^,  by  prayer  and  supplication 
with  thanksgivings  let  your  requests  be  made 
knoiim  unto  GodJ' 

Philippians,  4th  chap.  6th  verse. 

There  is  no  duty  which  is  more  becoming  in  it- 
self, more  agreeable  in  exercise,  or  more  beneficial 
in  its  eifects,  than  that  of  prayer.  It  is  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  the  sovereignty,  and  a  token  of  sub- 
mission to  the  will  of  God.  It  is  an  humble  ex- 
pression of  the  dependence  of  the  creature  upon  the 
power  and  goodness  of  the  Creator.  In  its  exer- 
cise, it  is  the  communion  of  the  soul  with  God,  and 
an  admission  into  his  presence.  It  is  to  have  fel- 
lowship with  the  Saints  and  Angels  which  surround 
his  throne,  and  to  join  with  them  in  their  more  ex- 
alted soBgs  of  praise.     In  its  effects,  it  is  the  refuge 


204  ON  PRAYER, 

of  tbe  needy  and  the  afflicted.  The  making  known 
our  waiits,  procures  a  supply ;  the  cry  of  distress 
is  answered  with  deliverance ;  and  the  effusions  of 
love,  with  the  sweet  communications  of  grace.  It 
is  the  hope  of  mercy  in  the  sinner,  the  confidence 
of  faith  in  the  believer,  and  a  tribute  of  praise 
from  both.  The  definition  of  prayer,  as  given  by 
the  Westminster  assembly  of  Divines,  is  as  follows : 
^*  Prayer  is  an  offering  up  of  our  desires  to  God  for 
things  agreeable  to  his  will,  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
with  confession  of  our  sins,  and  thankful  acknow- 
ledgment of  his  mercies." 

The  confession  of  sin  is  necessarily  implied  in 
our  petition  for  pardoning  grace  ;  and  Jesus  Christ 
is  the  door  of  access  to  God  :  He  is  the  way,  the 
truth,  and  the  life.  As  for  the  rest  of  the  definition, 
it  is  fully  expressed  in  the  words  of  the  text.  "  In 
every  thing,  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanks- 
giving, let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God." 

I  recollect  to  have  discoursed  on  this  subject  once 
before,  in  your  hearing.  It  was  my  business,  then, 
to  endeavour  to  open  to  your  view,  the  nature  of 
prayer  in  general ;  and  this,  with  the  intention  of 
obviating  such  objections  as  might  be  raised  against 
this  duty,  from  the  unchangeable  nature  of  God. 
In  answer  to  such,  I  observed  to  you,  that  prayer  was 
1st,  an  expression  of  homage  from  the  creature  to 
the  Creator,  who  is  God  over  all,  blessed  forever ; 
2dly,  an  expression  of  gratitude  from  the  benefici- 
ary to  the  benefactor,  who  is  the  giver  of  every  good 
and  perfect  gift;  and  3dly,  one  of  the  means  of 
grace  to  procure  his  blessing,  not  by  disposing  him 
to  bestow  it,  but  by  qualifying  ourselves  to  receive  it. 


ON  PRAYER.  205 

At  present,  I  will  solicit  your  attention  to  the  same 
subject  in  another  point  of  view,  not  less  doctrinal, 
but  perhaps,  more  practical.  I  therefore  beg  leave 
to  submit  to  your  consideration,  the  following  par- 
ticulars ;  1st,  that  the  injunction  in  the  text  to  make 
our  requests  known  to  God  by  prayer,  implies  that, 
of  ourselves,  we  are  needy  and  helpless ;  2dly,  it 
implies  that  God  is  at  all  times,  accessible  to  his 
creatures  ;  3dly,  that  he  is  ready  to  hear  and  able 
to  save ;  and  4thly,  that  he  is  not  only  quick  to 
hear,  but  willing  to  answer. 

The  object  of  prayer ;  the  subjects  of  it ;  its  de- 
sign and  efficacy,  together  with  the  improvement  of 
the  whole,  will  be  reserved  for  another  occasion. 

First  then,  when  we  are  exhorted  to  make  our  re- 
quests to  God,  the  implication  is  obvious,  that  we 
are  subject  to  a  variety  of  wants,  and  that  our  help 
is  placed  in  him.  All  created  things  are  the  pro- 
ductions of  his  power,  and  are  as  dependent  on  him 
for  their  continual  support,  as  they  are  indebted  for 
their  first  creation.  But  man,  though  in  various 
respects,  the  noblest  of  his  works  below,  is  amongst 
the  most  dependent  of  all  his  creatures.  The  frame 
of  nature  subsists  from  age  to  age,  in  obedience  to 
the  laws,  and  by  virtue  of  the  powers  which  were 
given  it  at  first.  The  sun  revolves  without  inter- 
ruption, in  the  path  through  which  it. was  directed 
by  the  great  Creator,  when  first  it  entered  on  its 
race ;  and  thus  it  shall  continue  to  revolve  from 
year  to  year,  until  he  who  gave  shall  also  stop  its 
course  ;  until  lie  shall  dissolve  the  frame  of  nature  ; 
strike  off  the  wheels  of  time  itself,  and  bid  them 
cease  to  roll.     But  it  is  not  so  with  man.     He  is  a 


206  ON  PRAYER. 

creature  of  few  days  at  best,  and  even  those  he  pos- 
sesses on  a  precarious  tenure.  His  life  at  best  is 
but  a  conflict  between  life  and  death  ;  The  seeds  of 
both  are  sown  together.  Such  is  his  constitution 
that  he  requires  continual  supplies  of  nourishment  to 
keep  it  in  repair  and  prevent  a  total  dissolution. 
For  this  he  is  dependent  on  the  care  and  bounty  of 
his  Heavenly  Father,  who  gives  him  his  food  in 
due  season,  and  hath  directed  him  to  come  to  him 
for  it  from  day  to  day.  Of  the  prayer  which  our 
Lord  taught  to  his  disciples^,  this  is  a  part :  "  Give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread." 

In  the  new-born  infant,  we  see  a  striking  picture 
of  our  condition  in  every  stage  of  life.  Is  the  help- 
less child  indebted  for  its  preservation  and  support, 
to  the  tender  care  of  its  parent  ?  So  is  our  whole  race 
provided  for,  by  the  Father  of  all.  Indeed,  this  is 
a  truth  so  universally  acknowledged,  that  it  stands 
in  no  need  of  illustration,  and  which  it  would  be 
unnecessary  to  mention,  were  it  not  that  it  is  so  gene- 
rally forgotten.  As  we  approach  to  manhood,  and 
begin  to  act  for  ourselves,  we  find  that  our  own  ex- 
ertions are  required,  and  that  our  success  in  general, 
is  in  proportion  to  them.  By  industry  and  econo- 
my, men  thrive  in  the  world,  and  at  length  attain  to 
that  situation  which  is  called  easy  and  iudependent. 
In  this  situation  in  life,  they  are  apt  to  attribute  their 
prosperity,  to  their  own  good  management,  and  to 
suffer  the  kindness  of  Providence  to  lie  concealed 
behind  the  very  gifts  which  it  bestows.  Indepen- 
dent, in  a  great  measure,  on  their  fellow-men,  they 
also  lose  siglit  of  their  dependence  upon  God. 
But  what  our  Lord  said  to  his  disciples,  is  as  true 


ON  PRAYER.  207 

in  natural,  as  in  spiritual  things  ;  "  without  me  ye 
can  do  nothing."  If  man  eats  bread  by  the  sweat 
of  his  own  brow,  it  is  God  that  gives  him  strength 
to  labour.  If  he  rise  to  opulence  by  success  in 
trade,  it  is  God  that  gives  him  enterprize,  and  gives 
to  commerce  wings.  If  he  embark  his  treasures  in 
the  ship,  still  it  is  God  that  must  direct  the  helm, 
command  the  winds  and  waves,  and  bring  it  safe  to 
shore.  The  husbandman  may  yoke  his  oxen  to  the 
plough,  and  commit  his  seed  to  the  furrow,  but  with- 
out the  blessing  of  the  Almighty,  he  can  never  reap. 
It  is  God  that  giveth  the  increase,  and  causeth  the 
earth  to  yiehl  her  fruits. 

Hast  thou  goods  laid  up,  O  man,  and  yet  art  not 
thankful  ?  Dost  thou  covet  any  more,  and  in  the 
greatness  of  thy  might,  lookest  not  up  to  God?  Shall 
the  harvest  certainly  fill  thy  barns  ?  Stop  ;  what, 
if  he  withhold  the  rain  ?  The  seed  shall  die  in  the 
ground,  and  all  thy  hopes  die  with  it.  Canst  thou 
enter  into  the  treasures  of  the  rain,  and  cause  it  to 
descend  upon  the  ground  in  showers?  What,  if  God 
make  the  Heavens  as  iron,  and  the  Earth  as  brass  ? 
Soon  should  thy  strength  decay,  and  thy  face  grow 
pale,  for  lack  of  bread.  The  grass  would  be  burnt 
up  ;  every  green  herb  wither ;  and  nothing  would  be 
sold  in  the  shambles.  Both  men  and  beasts  would 
groan,  and  pine,  and  die  with  hunger. 

After  the  same  manner,  it  might  be  shewn,  thai 

,of  all  our  numerous  wants,  there  is  not  one  of  them 

which,  of  ourselves,  we  are  able  to  supply.    In  God, 

we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being ;  and  unto 

God,  all  flesh  must  come. 


208  ON  PRAYER. 

It  is  the  same  thing,  precisely,  with  regard  to  our 
spiritual  necessities,  or  rather,  in  this  respect,  we  are 
even  more  indigent  and  helpless.  We  are  repre- 
sented in  Scripture,  as  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
and  are,  therefore,  altogether  insufficient.  We  need 
the  pardon  of  our  sins,  and  yet,  are  wholly  unable 
even  to  repent  us  of  them.  We  need  the  renewal 
of  our  natures,  and  the  sanctification  of  our  wicked 
hearts,  in  order  to  the  enjoyment  of  God.  But,  who 
is  sufficient  for  these  things?  Who  can  bring  a 
clean  thing  out  of  an  unclean  ?  Not  one.  It  may, 
perhaps,  be  objected,  that  the  appointment  of  the 
means  of  grace,  is  an  acknowledgment  that  we  have 
power  to  use  them ;  that  they  are  conducive  to  the 
end  of  our  salvation  ;  and,  therefore,  that  by  the  ap- 
plication of  them  which  is  in  our  power,  we  may, 
in  the  end,  accomplish  the  great  and  important  work. 
Be  pleased  to  observe,  that  tliere  is  a  strict  analogy 
between  the  works  of  nature  and  the  means  of  grace. 
We  may  plant,  and  we  may  sow,  but  unless  God 
be  pleased  to  succeed  our  labors,  unless  he  be- 
stow the  early  and  the  latter  rain,  the  almond 
tree  shall  not  blossom,  nor  the  earth  yield  fruit. 
The  means  of  grace  will  also  prove  ineffectual,  un- 
less God  be  pleased  to  accompany  them  with  his 
Divine  aid,  and  grant  the  influences  of  his  Holy 
Spirit  to  co-operate  with  our  own  endeavors.  In 
every  point  of  view,  then,  altogether  helpless  in  our- 
selves, all  our  hope  and  expectations  are  from  God, 
who  has  graciously  promised  to  perfect  strength  in 
our  weakness,  and  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost  to  them 
that  ask  him. 


ON  PRAYER.  209 

The  second  particular  was,  that  we  have  free 
access  to  God.  "  In  every  thing,"  says  the  Apos- 
tle, "let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God." 
Although  he  is  far  exalted  above  our  praises  or 
our  highest  conceptions ;  although  he  stands  in 
no  need  of  our  services,  he  does  not,  however, 
forbid  or  reject  our  petitions.  Completely  happy 
and  blessed  in  himself,  he  is  not  inattentive  to 
the  wants  of  his  creatures.  He  has  been  pleased 
to  establish  a  Throne  of  Grace,  and  invites  us  to 
come  to  it,  and  find  grace  to  help  us  in  every  time 
of  need.  The  very  lowest  of  his  creatures  is  not 
beneath  the  notice  of  the  most  High.  The  most  con- 
temptible amongst  men  is  not  despised  of  the  God 
of  Heaven.  It  is,  indeed,  astonishing,  that  such  un- 
worthy creatures  as  we  are,  should  be  suffered  to  ap- 
proach the  Sovereign  of  the  Universe ;  that  such  sin- 
ful and  polluted  creatures  should  be  admitted  into 
the  Holy  presence  of  the  King  of  Saints.  Yet,  this 
is  not  enough.  We  abridge  our  own  privileges,  and 
we  disparage  the  goodness  and  condescension  of 
God,  when  we  barely  say  he  is  accessible.  "  Let 
us  come  with  boldness,"  says  the  Apostle,  "  to  the 
Throne  of  Grace."  One  of  the  Evangelists  tells 
us,  that  *^the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  suffereth  vio- 
lence, and  the  violent  take  it  by  force."  *^*  All  ye 
that  make  mention  of  the  Lord,"  says  the  Prophet, 
**  keep  not  silence,  and  give  him  no  rest."  We 
have  not  only  free  access,  then,  to  the  Throne  of 
Grace,  but  are  permitted  to  be  importunate  when  we 
are  there,  and  even  to  take  no  denial.  We  find  va- 
rious instances  to  this  purpose,  recorded  for  our  en- 
couragement in  the  word  of  God.    He  is  represent- 

27 


210  ON  PRAYER, 

ed  as  suffering  himself  to  be  overcome  by  Jacob, 
who  is  said  to  have  wrestled  with  the  Almighty,  a«!d 
to  have  overcome  him  io  the  contest.     "  Let  me  go," 
says  God ;  to  whom  Jacob  replies,  "  1  will  not  let 
thee  go,  except  thou  bless  me."     This  might  be  con- 
sidered, perhaps,  as  indecent  boldness  in  a  creature, 
but  it  ought  to  be  considered  as  an  astonishing  in- 
stance of  the  condescensitm  of  God  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  confidence  of  the  believer  on  the  other,  lay- 
ing hold  of  the  promises.     So  it  appeared  in  the 
sight  of  God,  who  suffered  him  to  overcome.     For 
that  reason,  we  read  that  he  changed  his  name  : 
'^  Thou  shalt  be  called  Israel,"  says  he,  "  for  as  a 
Prince  thou  hast  power  with  God  and  with  men, 
and   hast  prevailed."     In  like  manner,  the  case  of 
the  Canaanitish  woman,  pleading  with  our  Saviour, 
is  truly  ajffecting,  and  at  the  same  time,  full  of  en- 
couragement.    She  came  and  cried  unto  him,  say- 
ing, "  have  mercy  on  me,  0  !  Lord,  thou  Son  of  Da- 
vid ;  my  daughter  is  grievously  vexed  with  a  Devil." 
But  at  first,  as  if  to  make  her  still  more  importu- 
nate, he  answered  her  not  a  word.     Then  came  she 
and  worshipped  him,  saying,  "Lord,   help  me." 
What  was  the  answer?  The  most  discouraging  that 
could  have  been  given  ;  "  It  is  not  meet  to  take  the 
childrens'  bread,  and  cast  it  to  dogs."     It  would 
seem,  that  there  was  but  little  hope  now  left.     But 
the  poor  woman  would  not  give  over  her  suit,  and 
our  blessed  Lord  seems  to  have  been  moved  by  the 
humility  of  her  concessions,  and  overcome  by  the 
weight  of  her  argument.    "Truth  Lord,"  said  she : 
as  much  as  to  say,  I  own  I  am  no  better  than  a  dog, 
"  yet  the  dogs  cat  of  the  crumbs  which  fall  from 


ON  PRAYER,  211 

their  master's  table."  "  Be  it  unto  thee,"  says  our 
Lord,  "  even  as  thou  wilt ;  O  !  woman,  great  is  thy 
faith." 

It  must  occur  to  every  one  who  has  attended  to 
this  part  of  the  subject,  what  a  difference  there  is 
between  God  and  man  in  this  respect.  The  mean- 
est creature  upon  earth,  may  at  all  times  go  to  God, 
make  known  his  wants,  and  have  his  claim  allowed. 
But,  how  hard  of  access  are  the  rich  and  honoura- 
ble of  this  world?  With  what  difficulty  can  the 
poor  and  helpless  approach  their  stately  habitations? 
They  stand  at  the  gate  at  humble  distance,  impelled 
by  necessity,  and  yet  fearful  of  intrusion  and  appre- 
hensive of  repulse.  They  pour  their  complaints  in- 
to deaf  ears,  and  make  their  distresses  known  in 
vain.  It  is  far  otherwise  with  the  great  God.  No 
living  creature  is  below  his  notice.  The  most  for- 
lorn and  helpless,  may  at  all  times  go  to  him.  He 
never  rejects  the  humble  supplicant;  he  gives  to  him 
liberally  and  upbraids  him  not.  The  God  of  Hea- 
ven is  no  respecter  of  persons.  The  beggar  on  the 
dung-hill,  is  as  easily  admitted,  as  the  King  on  the 
throne ;  the  poor  man  as  the  rich ;  the  black  man 
as  the  white.  Who  shall  be  admitted  into  the  palace 
of  an  earthly  prince  ?  The  great  and  the  splendid 
only,  to  the  exclusion  of  others.  You  see  the  por- 
ter placed  at  the  gate,  with  instruments  of  death  in 
his  hands  to  guard  his  master  from  unhallowed  ap- 
proach. But  the  King  of  Kings,  not  only  admits, 
but  invites  the  poor  and  needy  into  his  Heavenly 
courts.  There  is  no  flaming  sword  to  guard  the 
passage  to  the  throne  of  Grace.  It  stands  open 
night  and  day.   Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  our 


212  ON  PRAYER. 

glorious  advocate  and  intercessor  with  tlie  Fatber, 
lias  removed  every  bar,  and  erected  a  mercy  seat  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne. 

3dly,  God  is  ready  to  hear  and  able  to  save.  In 
vain  should  we  cry  unto  him,  if  he  could  not  hear, 
and  in  vain  would  he  hear,  if  he  were  unable  to 
bring  deliverance.  He  is  intimately  acquainted  with 
all  our  ways,  and  he  knows  our  inmost  thoughts. 
He  that  formed  the  ear,  can  he  not  hear  ?  He  who 
formed  the  heart,  cannot  he  understand?  "Thou 
knowest  my  down-sitting,  and  my  up-rising,"  says 
the  Psalmist,  "  thou  understandest  my  thought  afar 
off :  There  is  not  a  word  in  my  tongue,  but,  lo,  O  ! 
Lord,  thou  knowest  it  altogether."  "  Beholtl,*'  says 
the  Prophet  Isaiah,  "  the  Lord's  hand  is  not  short- 
ened that  it  cannot  save  ;  neither  his  ear  heavy  that 
it  cannot  hear."  The  Psalmist  calls  him  by  way  of 
eminence,  the  prayer- hearing  God  :  "O  thou,"  says 
he,  "  that  hearest  prayer."  This  distinguisTies  him 
from  the  Gods  of  the  Heathen.  They  could  not 
hear  their  votaries,  though  they  cried  aloud.  Our 
God  is  distinguished  from  the  Gods  of  the  nations, 
in  this,  as  in  every  thing  else,  that  he  hearetli  prayer. 
The  Gentiles  worshipped  stocks  or  stones  that  could 
not  hear,  or  bulls  and  other  animals  that  could  not 
understand ;  and  the  Apostle  tells  of  certain  Gen- 
tiles that  sacrificed  to  devils  that  cannot  save,  and 
would  not  if  they  could.  But,  in  vain  would  men 
worship  such  Gods,  for  they  cannot  help  them. 
They  may  paint  or  carve  them  with  ears,  indeed, 
but  they  cannot  make  them  hear.  They  may  put 
the  likeness  of  eyes  in  their  heads,  but  destruction 
may  overwhelm  their  votaries  and  they  cannot  see 


ON  PRAYER.  213 

their  distress,  nor  move  a  hand  to  relieve  them. 
They  are  well  described  by  the  Psalmist,  in  the 
115th  Psalm.  "They  have  mouths,  but  they  speak 
not ;  eyes  have  they,  but  they  see  not ;  they  have 
ears,  but  they  hear  not ;  they  have  hands,  but  they 
handle  not;  feet  have  they,  but  they  walk  not." 

This  circumstance  is  also  taken  notice  of  by  the 
Prophet  Jeremiah,  10,  5.  "  They  are  upri^^ht  as  the 
palm  tree,  but  speak  not ;  they  must  needs  be  borne, 
because  they  cannot  go."  The  Apostle  had  good 
reason  when  he  said,  "  an  idol  is  nothing  in  the 
world."  But  the  Prophet  Elijah  has  exposed  both 
them  and  their  votaries,  \^  ith  the  most  cutting  raille- 
ry that  is  any  where  to  be  found.  As  the  circum- 
stance is  singular,  I  will  relate  it  in  full.  The  Pro- 
phet reproved  the  priests  of  Baal  for  their  absurd  and 
idolatrous  worship,  and  wished  to  bring  them  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  true  God.  He  had  told  them  to 
serve  Baal  if  he  were  God,  but  if  the  Lord  were 
God,  they  should  serve  him.  For  this  purpose,  he 
proposed  to  them  the  following  experiment.  They 
should  take  two  bullocks  ;  he  one,  and  the  Prophets 
of  Baal  one.  They  were  to  cut  the  bullocks  in  pie- 
ces, and  lay  them  on  wood,  but  put  no  lire  under. 
This  being  done,  they  were  to  call  on  the  name  of 
their  Gods,  and  Elijah  on  the  name  of  the  Lord ; 
<<  rhe  God  that  answereth  by  fire,"  says  he,  "  let 
him  be  God."  The  challenge  was  accepted,  and 
all  the  people  said  that  Elijah  had  spoken  Mell. 
Accordingly,  the  Prophets  of  Baal  took  their  bul- 
lock, and  havi.jg  dressed  it,  they  laid  it  on  the  wood 
as  was  proposed  ;  and  they  called  upon  their  God 
Baal  incessantly,  saying  O I  Baal  hear  us ;  and  they 


214  ON  PRAYER. 

leaped  up  and  down  upon  the  altar,  either  through 
great  uneasiness,  or  a  kind  of  charm.  But  there 
was  no  voice,  nor  any  that  answered.  This  was  in 
the  morning.  At  noon,  after  Elijah  had  given  them 
sufficient  time,  he  jeers  them  with  the  most  mortify- 
ing mockery.  "  Cry  aloud,"  says  he,  "  for,  he  is  a 
God  ;  either  he  is  talking,  or  he  is  pursuing,  or  he 
is  on  a  journey,  or  perad venture  sleepeth,  and  must 
be  awaked."  They  cried  aloud  and  cut  themselves 
with  knives  and  lancets  until  the  blood  gushed  out, 
but  Baal  was  not  to  be  awaked.  It  was  now  to  be 
determined,  wliether  the  Lord  whom  Elijah  served, 
were  God  or  not.  The  Prophet  called  upon  the 
God  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  and  of  Israel ;  and  he 
sent  fire  from  Heaven  and  consumed  the  offering. 
It  is  one  of  his  distinguishing  characteristicks,  that 
he  heareth  prayer. 

4thly.  He  is  not  only  ready  to  hear,  but  willing 
to  answer.  The  goodness  and  mercy  of  God  invite 
his  creatures  to  pray  to  him.  His  goodness  is  con- 
spicuous in  all  his  works.  But,  in  addition  to  this, 
as  often  as  he  has  invited  and  commanded  us  to 
pray,  he  has  assured  us,  that  he  will  hear  and  an- 
swer. "  The  Lord  is  nigh  unto  all  them  that  call 
upon  him ;  yea,  all  such  as  call  upon  him  faithfully. 
He  will  fulfil  the  desire  of  them  that  fear  him :  He 
also  will  hear  their  cry,  and  help  them."  "  If  any 
man  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  it  of  God,  who  giv- 
eth  to  all  liberally,  and  upbraideth  not."  "  Ask," 
says  our  Lord,  "  and  ye  shall  receive ;  seek,  and  ye 
shall  find  ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you." 
And,  "  Whatsoever  ye  ask  the  Father,  in  my  name, 
believing,  he  will  give  it  to  you."    From  these,  and 


ON  PRAYER.  215 

maoy  other  passages  of  similar  import,  we  learn, 
that  the  prayer  of  the  humble  petitioner,  ofl'ered  in 
sincerity,  through  Jesus  Christ,  shall  never  be  re- 
jected. "  Whosoever  cometh  to  me,  through  him," 
says  God,  "  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

I  do  not  know,  indeed,  that  we  are  warranted  to 
conclude,  that  we  may  always  expect  the  very  things 
we  ask  for,  in  answer  to  our  prayers.  This  will  de- 
pend on  a  variety  of  circumstances,  such  as  the  tem- 
per of  mind  with  which  we  ask  them ;  the  purposes 
for  which  we  want  them  ;  and  particularly,  the  wis- 
dom of  God,  who  knows  what  is  fittest  for  us, — 
Short-sighted  as  we  are,  and  ignorant,  not  knowing 
what  to  ask  for,  or  how  to  pray  aright,  we  may  of- 
ten ask  such  things,  as  would  really  be  a  disadvan- 
tage to  us,  if  God  should  bestow  them.  But,  when 
we  ask  such  things,  in  faith,  as  have  a  tendency  to 
the  glory  of  God,  and  are  necessary  for  the  good  of 
our  souls,  he  not  only  bestows  the  very  things  we 
ask  for,  but  abundantly  more.  For  instance,  the 
bounties  of  his  Providence  will  always  accompany 
the  blessings  of  his  Grace.  This  is  the  character  of 
true  piety  and  Godliness.  Godliness  has  ^'  the  pro- 
mise of  the  life  that  now  is,  and  that  which  is  to 
come."  '^  Seek  ye,  first,  the  kingdom  of  God," 
says  our  Saviour,  "  and  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you."  We  have  an  instance  of  this  in 
the  case  of  Solomon,  who  asked  wisdom  of  God. — 
<*  Behold,  I  have  done  according  to  thy  words :  lo, 
1  have  given  thee  a  wise  and  an  understanding  heart, 
so  that  there  was  none  like  thee,  before  thee,  neither 
after  thee  shall  any  arise  like  unto  thee.  And  I 
have  also  given  thee  that  which  thou  hast  not  asked. 


216  ON  PRAYER. 

footh  riches  and  honor;  so,  that  there  shall  not  be 
any  among  the  Kini^s,  like  unto  thee,  all  thy  days.'' 
In  like  manner,  when  we  pray  for  a  meek  and  for- 
giving disposition,  we  may  certainly  expect,  that 
God  will  enable  us,  from  the  heart,  to  forgive  our 
enemies ;  and  it  is  probable,  he  will  add  to  this, 
wisdom  to  counteract  their  designs,  and  strength  to 
resist  their  power.  Again,  he  may  not  grant  the 
very  thing  asked  for,  but  something  else,  and  yet 
effectually  answer  our  prayers.  For  instance,  when 
we  are  under  the  pressure  of  temporal  calamity, 
or  bodily  infirmity,  and  make  application  to  God, 
he  may  not  grant  us  a  deliverance  from  them,  be- 
cause we  might  not  be  able  to  use  prosperity  with 
moderation,  nor  enjoy  health  with  thankfulness ;  but 
he  would  certainly  grant  us  grace  to  bear  them  with 
patience,  and  cause  them  to  be  working  out  for  us,  in 
the  mean  time,  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
■weight  of  glory.  This  would  answer  the  purpose  full 
as  well,  and  a  great  deal  better-  It  would  alter  the 
whole  aspect  of  the  calamity :  it  would  become  light 
and  easy  for  the  present,  and  the  greatest  of  bles- 
sings in  the  end. 

There  is  but  one  other  case  to  be  considered  un- 
der this  head,  and  that  is  the  time.  This  is  also 
to  be  submitted  to  the  sovereign  will  and  boundless 
wisdom  of  God.  A  prayer  is  not  unanswered,  be- 
cause it  is  not  answered  immediately.  One  of 
the  Prophets  represents  prayers  as  remembrancers, 
which  remain  before  God's  throne.  And  though 
the  answer  seems  to  tarry,  yet  the  way  is  constantly 
preparing  for  it.  It  may  be,  that  something  must 
(irst  be  brought  about,  to  prepare  the  mind  for  the 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  217 

reception  of  what  is  asked.  And  those  blessings 
which  are  sought,  agreeably  to  the  will  of  God,  will 
be  bestowed  at  the  most  proper  season,  by  him  who 
never  required  the  house  of  Jacob  to  seek  his  face 
in  vain. 


ON  SALVATION  BY  GRA.CE. 

^^ For,  by  Grace  are  ye  saved,  through  Faith;  and 
that  not  of  yourselves :  it  is  the  gift  of  God.^^ 

Ephesiaus,  2d  chap.  8th  verse. 

It  is  frequently  said,  that  some  doctrines  contain- 
ed in  Scripture,  are  more  essential  than  others. — 
It  is  not  my  intention  now  to  exaniine  with  what 
propriety  this  is  affirmed  ;  but  if  it  be  so,  this,  which 
has  been  just  read,  must  be  admitted  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important,  if  we  may  judge  by  the  nature 
of  the  subject  itself,  the  earnestness  with  which  it  is 
inculcated,  or  the  frequency  of  its  repetition.  That 
Salvation  is  by  Grace,  and  not  by  the  Deeds  of  the 
Law,  is  continually  maintained  by  our  Lord  and  liis 
Apostles,  through  the  whole  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  the 
only  grouud  of  the  sinner's  hope,  of  the  good  man's 
rejoicing;  and  <^ Grace,  Grace,"  is  the  unceasing 
theme  of  the  Saints  in  Glory.  In  the  passage  now 
before  us,  the  Apostle  affirms,  that  "  God;  who  is 

28 


218  SALVATION  BY  GRACE. 

rich  in  mercy,"  hath  quickened  us,  that,  in  ages  to 
come,  he  might  shew  the  exceeding  riches  of  his 
Grace,  in  his  kindness  towards  us,  through  Christ 
Jesus :  *^  For  by  Grace  are  ye  saved,  through  Faith ; 
and  that  not  of  yourselves :  it  is  the  gift  of  God." 
It  is  immediately  added,  *'  Not  of  works,  lest  any 
man  should  boast " 

But,  notwithstanding  that  this  doctrine  is  so  ex- 
ceedingly important,  and  so  expressly  revealed,  it 
may  yet  be  supposed,  that  there  is  no  one  in  the 
whole  Word  of  God,  perhaps,  more  imperfectly 
understood,  or  more  grossly  misrepresented.  Al- 
though the  works  of  Righteousness,  as  will  be 
shewn  in  the  sequel,  are  the  natural  eifects  of  Grace, 
as  the  fruit  is  the  production  of  the  tree ;  yet,  men 
have  made  out,  in  tlieory,  to  put  them  asunder,  and 
set  them  in  array  against  each  other.  Hence,  we 
are  informed  by  the  Apostle  James,  that  one  man 
says,  *^  1  have  Faith,  and  another  I  have  Works." 
The  pretensions  of  both  are  evidently  false,  yet 
there  is  not  so  great  inconsistency  between  them,  as 
men  have  since  invented.  It  is  seriously  contended, 
against  the  doctrine  of  Grace,  not  only  that  it  would 
supersede  the  necessity  of  good  works,  but  that  it  is 
a  cloak  for  the  practice  of  iniquity.  There  are  two 
circumstances  which  seem  to  have  given  rise  to  this 
objection  :  the  one  is  the  glaring  inconsistency  that 
is  observable  between  the  pretensions  and  the  lives 
of  too  many  who  profess  this  doctrine ;  the  other  is 
the  fatal  blow  it  gives  to  the  pride  of  human  nature, 
which  induces  a  man  to  refuse  a  scheme  which 
leaves  him,  as  he  imagines,  nothing  to  do,  and  re- 
quires him  to  renounce  every  kind  of  merit,  in  the 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  219 

important  Work  of  Salvation.  With  respect  to  the 
first,  it  is  not  to  be  denied,  but  very  much  to  be  la- 
mented, that  there  are  too  many  instances  of  profes- 
sing Christians,  who  do  turn  the  Grace  of  God  into 
licentiousness ;  who  really  do  seem  to  imagine  that 
their  conversion,  as  they  call  it,  gives  them  some  ex- 
clusive privileges  this  way;  and  who  would  pal- 
liate their  own  vices,  under  the  tender  appellation 
of  pardonable  infirmities,  which,  at  the  same  time, 
they  are  pleased  to  consider,  in  others,  as  highly 
criminal.  If  the  doctrine  in  question  w^ere  justly 
chargeable  with  encouraging  these  things,  the  objec- 
tion against  it  would  be  wholly  unanswerable.  But, 
I  shall  endeavor  to  vindicate  it  against  this  imputa- 
tion, by  stating  to  you,  precisely,  in  the  first  place, 
the  doctrine  itself,  as  it  is  delivered  in  the  Gospel; 
and  secondly,  by  pointing  out  its  natural  and  neces- 
sary tendency  to  produce  the  fruits  of  practical  reli- 
gion. 

As  to  the  other  source  of  opposition  against  the 
doctrine  of  Grace,  I  shall  leave  it  where  it  is ;  being 
well  persuaded  that  nothing  can  remove  it  but  Grace 
itself.     I  proceed,  therefore,  to  my  purpose. 

1.  The  doctrine  of  the  Gospel,  then,  upon  this 
subject  is,  that  we  are  saved  by  Divine  Grace,  and 
that,  alone,  without  the  Deeds  of  the  Law ;  but,  that 
our  obligations  to  obedience,  on  that  account,  are 
not  diminished,  but  increased. 

In  this  cliapter,  which  contains  our  text,  after  ha- 
ving asserted,  that  we  are  saved  by  Grace,  which  is 
the  gift  of  God,  and  not  by  Works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast,  the  Apostle  adds,  in  the  next  verse, 
that  we  are  ^^  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ 


220  SALVATION  BY  GRACE, 

Jesus  unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  before 
ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them."  In  the 
6th  chapter  to  the  Romans,  1st  verse,  the  Apostle, 
as  if  with  an  eye  to  the  objection  which  has  been 
stated,  asks  this  question  :  *'  Shall  we  continue  in 
sin,  that  Grace  may  abound?"  To  which,  he  an- 
swers, ^'  God  forbid  :  How  shall  we,  that  are  dead 
to  sin,  live  any  longer  therein  ?"  In  the  14th  verse 
of  the  same  chapter,  he  says,  "  Sin  shall  not  have 
dominion  over  you ;"  and  the  reason  that  he  assigns 
is,  that  they  were  under  Grace :  ^'  For,  ye  are  not 
under  the  Law,  but  under  Grace."  The  same  thing 
he  expressly  asserts  in  the  3d  chapter  to  the  Ro- 
mans, 31st  verse:  ^^Do  we,  then,  make  void  the 
Law,  through  Faith  ?  God  forbid :  Yea,  we  esta- 
blish the  Law."  I  shall  only  cite  to  you  one  other 
passage,  which  will  serve  to  explain  the  doctrine^ 
and  assist  us  very  much  in  the  discussion  of  what 
remains  upon  the  subject.  It  is  in  the  3d  chapter 
of  Paul's  Epistle  to  Titus,  from  the  5th  verse :  "  J\  ot 
by  works  of  righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but 
according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing 
of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost: 
that,  being  justified  by  his  Grace,  we  should  be 
made  heirs,  according  to  the  hope  of  eternal  life. — 
This  is  a  faithful  saying ;  and  these  things  I  will 
that  thou  affirm  constantly ;  that  they  which  have 
believed  in  God,  might  be  careful  to  maintain  good 
works."  "The  faithful  saying"  is,  that  we  Jire 
saved  by  the  mercy  of  God,  and  justified  by  his 
Grace.  And  the  reason  that  the  Apostle  would 
have  this  constantly  affirmed  was,  not  that  believers 
might  learn,  that  they  then  were  at  liberty  to  break 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  221 

the  commandments  of  God,  but  on  the  contrary,  that 
they  "  might  be  careful  to  mamtain  good  works." 
Such,  then,  in  a  few  words,  is  the  doctrine  of  Grace, 
as  stated  in  the  Scriptures.     If  we  attend  to  the  ex- 
pressions, there  is  not  one  which  gives  the  least  en- 
couragement to  sin ;  but,  they  all  represent  the  doc- 
trine, as  imposing  upon  Christians  the  highest  obli- 
gations to  a  life  of  righteousness.      Thus  far,  then, 
it  must  be  unimpeached.     If  any  objection  will  still 
lie  against  it,  it  must  arise  from  something  in  the 
nature  of  the  doctrine  itself,  which  is  calculated  to 
defeat  the  purposes  which  it  was  intended  to  pro- 
mote.    This  is  a  charge  of  a  high  nature,  indeed ; 
but,  nevertheless,  it  has  been  exhibited  against  it. 
It  has  been  considered  as  a  dangerous  doctrine  for 
ministers  to  preach,  from  an  apprehension,  that  to 
maintain  the  doctrine  of  Justification  by  Grace,  with- 
out the  Deeds  of  the  Law,  would  be  to  unhinge  the 
whole  system  of  moral  duties.     I  do  not  know  that 
it  has  always  been  correctly  stated,  or  judiciously 
explained,  in  public  discourses ;  but,  if  objections 
of  this  sort  are  permitted  to  operate  against  any  doc- 
trine, there  is  none,  whatever,  that  could  stand  the 
test. 

2.  My  second  proposition  was  to  shew,  that  the 
natural  tendency  of  Grace,  was  to  produce  a  life  of 
practical  religion.  Whether  it  lias  this  tendency, 
or  the  contrary,  shall  now  be  submitted  to  a  fair  and 
full  investigation. 

There  are  two  senses  in  which  the  word  Grace 
is  to  be  understood  in  Scripture ;  the  one,  is  an  act 
of  God's  goodness  in  pardoning  sin ;  the  other,  the 
work  of  his  spirit  in  sanctifying  the  sinner.     We 


222  SALVATION  BY  GRACE, 

will  take  a  view  of  the  subject  with  respect  to  both 
of  these.  Considering  the  matter  in  the  first  place, 
then,  merely  as  an  act  of  God's  goodenss  without  re- 
gard to  any  thing  else,  it  must  have  a  direct  and 
very  powerful  operation  on  the  gratitude  of  true  be- 
lievers. If  the  sense  of  obligation  can  provoke  to 
love  and  gratitude  to  God  in  any  instance,  it  must 
ever  bear  a  proportion  to  the  greatness  of  the  favour 
received.  The  common  bounties  of  life  will  have  a 
claim  upon  it ;  but  it  will  exert  itself  most  power- 
fully of  all,  for  the  richer  blessings  of  Divine  Grace. 
This  was  the  sentiment  of  the  Apostle,  wlien  he 
said,  "  the  love  of  Christ  coustraineth  us."  Through 
the  sovereign  mercy  of  God,  who  hath  mercy  on 
whom  he  will,  they  are  delivered  from  the  condem- 
nation of  his  law :  theii*  sins  are  pardoned,  through 
the  abundant  riches  of  Grace,  and  themselves  are 
made  heirs,  according  to  the  promise  of  eternal  life. 
It  cannot  be  supposed  to  diminish,  but  rather  to  in- 
crease these  obligations,  that  the  favor  was  entirely 
free  and  wholly  undeserved.  The  subjects  of  it 
cannot  immediately  forget  their  former  situation. — 
They  cannot  fail  to  recollect,  that  not  only  their 
righteousness  could  not  ascend  to  God,  but  in  truth, 
that  they  had  none ;  that  they  were  aforetime  work- 
ers of  iniquity  and  children  of  wrath,  even  as  others. 
To  a  person,  then,  just  delivered  from  this  unhappy 
situation,  could  it  be  any  objection  to  the  Grace  of 
God,  that  it  was  free;  or,  would  it  lessen  it  in  his 
estimation,  that  he  did  not  deserve  it?  The  great- 
ness of  the  favor  received,  combined  with  the  consci- 
ousness of  Ins  own  unvvorthiness,  to  fill  him  with 
gratitude  and  love.      Under  the  first  impression,  it 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  223 

would  be  the  language  of  his  heart,  '<  What  shall 
I  render  unto  the  Lord,  for  all  his  benefits?" — 
"  Lord,  what  is  man,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  that 
thou  shouldst  be  mindful  of  him,  or  the  son  of  man, 
that  thou  shouldst  visit  him?"  The  question  which 
our  Lord  once  put  to  the  Jews,  is  exceedingly  ap- 
plicable to  this  subject.  "  Is  your  eye  evil,  because 
I  am  gnoH  ?"  That  heart  must,  surely  have  inheri- 
ted, or  contracted,  rather,  a  more  than  common  de- 
gree of  malignity,  that  would  impel  a  man  to  hate, 
or  injure  another,  merely  because  he  was  his  bene- 
factor. And  this  consideration  would  not  be  con- 
strued to  excuse,  but  to  aggravate  his  offence.  Is 
the  goodness  of  God,  then,  alone  to  be  forgotten  ? 
Or,  is  it  of  a  nature  so  peculiar,  that  the  remem- 
brance of  it  should  only  serve  to  render  men  more 
licentious  and  disobedient  ?  It  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that  men  are  as  much,  that  is,  as  entirely  indebted 
to  God  for  the  bounties  of  his  Providence,  as  for  the 
blessings  of  his  Grace.  But,  what  kind  of  reason- 
ing would  it  be  to  say,  that  this,  too,  was  a  licen- 
tious doctrine ;  because,  if  men  were  once  persua- 
ded that  their  lives,  and  all  the  comforts  of  life,  pro- 
ceeded from  the  love  and  goodness  of  God,  it  would 
give  them  a  warrant  to  abuse  those  mercies,  and  sin 
against  their  author  ?  This  certainly  is  not  the  na- 
tural effect  which  favors  of  any  kind  have  upon  tlie 
mind :  and  I  can  discern  no  good  reason,  why  the 
great  and  unmerited  blessings  of  Divine  Grace  should 
be  made  the  only  exception. 

But  if,  in  the  second  place,  we  take  into  the  ac- 
count, that  Grace,  implanted  in  the  heart,  is,  of  it- 
self, an  inherent  principle  of  holiness,  it  will  render 


234  SALVATION  BY  GRACE. 

the  foregoing  reason  altogether  conclusive.     When 
men  have  contended  against  the  doctrine  of  Grace, 
they  have  not  been  at  the  pains  to  understand  it  tho- 
roughly, or  represent  it  fairly.      If,  by  being  saved 
by  Divine  Grace,  it  be  understood,  that  we  are  to 
receive  the  reward  of  holiness,  together  with  a  dis- 
pensation from  the  practice  of  it,  and  that  we  are  deli- 
vered fn)ui  the  punishmPTit  of  sin.  whilst  it  is  not  only 
permitted,  but  by  this  doctrine,  invited  to  hold  do- 
minion over  the  heart,  1  acknowledge  that  the  doc- 
trine is  wholly  indefensible.     But,  this  is  not  the 
doctrine  of  the  Gospel ;  and  I  am  persuaded,  that 
no  well  informed  person  ever  held  it  in  this  view. 
To  represent  it  in  this  light,  is  to  act  over  again  the 
cruelties  of  the  old  persecutors,  who  dressed  the 
Christian  martyrs  in  the  skins  of  beasts,  in  order 
that  the  dogs  miglit  worry  them.     It  was  the  direc- 
tion of  God,  that  when  the  Saviour  of  the  World 
was  born,  he  should  be  called  Jesus,  because  he  was 
to  save  from  sin.  "  And  thou  shalt  call  his  name  Je- 
sus, for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins." 
The  Apostle  says,  in  the  text,  that  we  are  saved  by 
Grace,  through  Faith ;  and  that  this  is  the  gift  of 
God ;  yet,  it  is  the  property  of  Faith  to  work  by 
love  and  purify  the  heart.      In  the  5th  verse  of  the 
3d  chapter  of  Titus,  before  cited,  the  Apostle  says, 
that  ^'  according  to  his  mercy  he  saved  us,  by  the 
washing  of  regeneration  and  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."     If  he  be  correct  in  this,  then  where  is  the 
tendency  of  this  doctrine  to  give  encouragement  to 
sin  ?     Is  this  the  effect  of  the  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost?     Does  the  washing  of  regeneration  make 
men  more  unclean  ?    Or,  is  human  nature,  of  itself, 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  225 

SO  extremely  pure,  that  the  Grace  of  God  would 
prove  an  alloy  ?  If  this  be  not  true,  but  the  con- 
trary, then  certainly  in  proportion  as  this  Grace  is 
communicated,  it  produces  an  aversion  from  sin,  and 
a  propensity  to  holiness ;  and  according  to  the  de- 
gree of  these,  their  necessary  influence  will  be  to 
produce  a  correspondent  life  of  righteousness.  Our 
Saviour  surely  was  not  chargeable  with  any  incon- 
sistency, when,  upon  this  principle,  he  said  to  his 
disciples,  "  If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments." 
It  is  perfectly  natural,  that  men  should  pursue  those 
objects  to  which  their  hearts  incline  them.  If  they 
devote  themselves  to  the  practice  of  sin,  it  is  not  be- 
cause it  is  safe,  but  because  it  is  agreeable.  Whea 
Divine  Grace,  then,  takes  possession  of  the  heart, 
and  produces  a  change  in  the  aifections,  what  else  is 
reasonably  to  be  expected,  tlian  a  change,  also,  of 
the  objects  of  pursuit?  The  requisitions  of  the  Gos- 
pel are,  of  themselves,  not  grievous ;  it  is  the  depra- 
vity of  human  nature  only,  that  deprives  us  of  the 
ability,  as  Avell  as  the  inclination,  to  comply  with 
them.  It  would  be  a  hard  case  indeed,  then ;  it 
would  argue  a  very  extraordinary  perverseness  in 
religion,  and  would  forever  exclude  us  from  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven,  if  the  removal  of  that  depra- 
vity, by  the  Grace  of  God,  should  only  serve  to  in- 
crease the  difficulty.  In  such  a  case,  well  might  we 
ask,  with  the  disciples  of  our  Lord,  "  Who,  then, 
can  be  saved  ?"  On  the  contrary,  the  Grace  of  God 
inclines  our  hearts  to  keep  Ids' Law ;  it  removes  the 
opposition  which  there  is  by  nature,  between  our 
duty  and  our  inclinations,  and  makes  his  service 
perfect  freedom.    When  Paul  complained  of  a  thorn 

29 


226  SALVATION  BY  GRACE. 

in  the  flesh,  the  answer  was,  <^  My  Grace  is  suffici- 
ent for  thcc."  It  is  said,  in  Scripture,  tliat  the  gifts 
and  calling  of  God  are  without  repentance.  Is  re- 
pentance, therefore,  excluded  ?  By  no  means :  for, 
our  Saviour  says,  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all 
likewise  perish."  Repentance  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  forgiveness  of  sin  :  it  is  the  effect  of 
God's  gift ;  and  in  the  same  manner  is  holiness  the 
effect  of  his  Grace.  But,  let  us  hear  the  reasoning 
of  our  Lord  himself  upon  this  subject,  which  is  sure- 
ly not  to  be  refuted :  "  A  good  tree  bringeth  forth 
good  fruit,  and  a  corrupt  tree  bringeth  forth  corrupt 
fruit."  What  is  the  conclusion,  then?  Why  sim- 
ply this  :  make  the  tree  good,  and  the  fruit  will  be 
so  too.  Or,  according  to  another  very  common  al- 
lusion, cleanse  the  fountain  and  the  streams  m  ill  be 
pure.  If  the  tree  be  good,  and  the  fountain  clean, 
will  the  fruit,  therefore,  be  the  more  unsavory,  and 
the  streams  more  muddy?  Surely  not.  Grace  is 
this  fountain,  and  righteousness  the  stream ;  or  Grace 
the  tree,  and  holiness  the  fruits.  The  comparison 
made  by  our  Lord,  of  the  vine  and  its  branches,  goes 
also  to  illustrate  the  same  thing.  "  I  am  the  vine, 
ye  are  the  branches."  Now,  if  the  vine  be  fruitful, 
will  the  branches,  therefore,  be  barren  ?  If  the  for- 
mer be  living,  is  it,  therefore,  a  necessary  conse- 
quence, that  the  branches  should  be  dead  ?  Or,  if 
the  vine  be  a  good  vine,  must  the  branches,  of  course, 
bring  forth  bad  fruit  ?  If  not,  then  how  can  it  be, 
that  the  Grace  of  God  should  make  the  subjects  of 
it  more  wicked  and  licentious  ?  This  ill-favoured 
objection  betrays  not  only  a  want  of  that  candor 
which  should  accompany  criticism,  but  a  sad  mis- 
apprehension of  the  nature  of  true  religion. 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  227 

I  would  observe,  in  the  third  place,  that  the  re- 
putation, if  I  may  so  speak,  of  their  Master  in  the 
World,  is  another  security  for  the  exemplary  lives 
of  true  believers.  In  the  first  ages  of  Christianity, 
the  disciples  of  our  Lord  were  hated  and  reviled,  on 
account  of  the  Redeemer.  ^^  The  world  hated  me 
before  it  hated  you."  It  is  also  true,  that  any  de- 
fect in  the  temper  or  miscarriage  in  the  lives  of  his 
followers,  is  reflected,  in  its  turn,  as  a  reproach  upon 
him.  The  credit  of  religion  is,  in  some  measure,  at 
stake,  upon  the  fidelity  of  its  professors.  The  eyes 
of  the  world  are  upon  them ;  and,  therefore,  if  they 
in  reality  possess  that  love  which  the  Grace  of  God 
inspires,  they  will  be  concerned  to  promote  the  glory 
and  proclaim  the  praises  of  their  Divine  master,  by 
such  a  moral  and  religious  life  as  shall  effectually 
stop  the  mouths  of  gain-sayers.  A  religious  life  is 
not  only  the  best  evidence  of  our  own  sincerity,  but 
the  greatest  ornament  we  can  bestow  on  the  doc- 
trines of  our  Saviour.  With  this  view,  our  blessed 
Lord  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Herein  is  my  Father 
glorified,  tliat  ye  bear  much  fruit."  Notwithstand- 
ing the  objections  raised  against  the  doctrine  in 
question,  it  is  observable,  1  think,  that  those  who  op- 
pose it,  are  very  watchful  over  those  who  profess  it, 
and  seem  to  expect  more  of  religion  from  them  than 
from  others.  This  seems  to  be  rather  unreasonable, 
when,  at  the  same  time,  they  charge  them  with  a 
scheme  of  doctrine,  which  has  a  tendency  directly 
opposite.  If  sifted  to  the  bottom,  however,  it  is  a 
relinquishment  of  their  objection  as  groundless,  since 
they  themselves  are  unable  to  give  it  credit. 


228  SALVATION  BY  GRACE. 

4.  After  the  same  manner,  it  might  be  demonstra- 
ted, that  the  same  principle  which  inspires  love,  and 
insures  obedience,  as- we  have  seen,  to  God,  diffuses 
its  intluence,  also,  through  the  whole  circle  of  duties 
of  man  to  man.  It  leads  to  the  discharge  of  hoth 
the  great  commands  on  which  the  Law  and  the  Pro- 
phets hang,  viz.  to  love  supremely  the  Lord  our  God, 
and  to  love  our  neighbors  as  ourselves.  The  same 
principle  which  produces  piety  towards  God,  will 
also  produce  justice  and  benevolence  towards  man  : 
if  for  no  other  reason,  at  least  for  this,  that  he  who 
hath  said,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God,'' 
hath  added,  "^  Thou  shalt  love  thy  brother  also." — 
^'  This  is  ray  commandment,"  says  our  blessed  Lord, 
"that  ye  love  one  another  as  I  have  loved  you." 

The  sense  of  God's  love,  must  certainly  have  a 
very  powerful  constraint  on  them  that  believe ;  and 
will  teach  them  readily  to  forgive  those  that  offend 
them,  since  God  was  merciful  to  their  unrigltcous- 
ness.  This  is  strikingly  set  forth  by  our  Saviour, 
in  the  parable  of  the  wicked  servant,  who  owed  his 
creditor  ten  thousand  talents,  which  he  was  unable 
to  pay.  His  Lord  at  first  was  willing  to  remit  the 
debt ;  but,  when  he  saw  his  conduct  to  his  fellow- 
servants,  he  delivered  him  to  the  tormentors,  till  he 
should  pay  all  that  was  due  unto  him. 

Improvement.  1.  We  may  learn,  from  what  has 
been  said,  that  the  inconsistent  conduct  of  profes- 
sing Christains  cannot  reasonably  be  charged  to  the 
account  of  the  doctrine  of  Grace.  It  is  rather  a 
justification  of  the  doctrine,  that  the  lives  of  men, 
as  far  as  they  arc  immoral,  are  inconsistent  with 
it :  yet,  inasmuch  as  the  world  will  have  it  sO;  we 


SALVATION  BY  GRACE.  229 

see  the  unspeakable  importance  of  an  exemplary 
life.  To  profess  the  doctrine  of  Salvation  by  Grace, 
the  province  of  which  is  to  purify  the  heart,  and  at 
the  same  time,  to  indulge  ourselves  in  the  practice 
of  iniquity,  is  to  be  traitors  against  the  cause  of 
truth.  As  Judas  did  his  master,  it  is  to  betray  it 
with  a  kiss. 

2.  We  may  learn,  also,  the  great  mistake  of  going 
about  to  establish  a  righteousness  of  our  own,  and 
endeavoring  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 
by  any  other  way  than  that  which  God  hath  ap- 
pointed. A  system  of  morality  without  the  princi- 
ple of  Grace,  is  a  body  without  a  soul,  and  that,  too, 
exceedingly  maimed.  It  is  like  the  fabulous  victim 
once  slain  in  Rome,  which  was  found,  upon  exami- 
nation, to  want  a  heart. 

3.  We  may  also  learn,  how  to  understand  the 
great  doctrine  of  Salvation  by  Grace.  Its  office  is 
to  cleanse  from  sin ;  to  produce  holiness  in  heart  and 
life ;  to  assimilate  us  to  God,  and  qualify  us  for  the 
enjoyment  of  his  spiritual  kingdom.  That  it  is  proof 
against  all  impeachment,  and  that  when  rightly  con- 
sidered, it  is  exclusively  calculated  to  bring  glory  to 
God  and  Salvation  to  man.  And  the  conclusion  of 
all  is,  that  we  earnestly  seek  that  Grace  of  God 
which  bringeth  Salvation ;  that  Grace  by  which  we 
are  saved,  through  Faith,  which  is  at  once  so  essen- 
tially necessary,  and  so  entirely  free. 


230  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

ON  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

u  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  to  receive  pow- 
er, and  riches,  and  ivisdom  and  strength,  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing.'^ 

Revelation,  5th  chap.  12th  verse. 

We  find  every  where  in  Scripture,  that  the  same 
attributes  and  the  same  honors  are  ascribed  to  God 
the  Son,  as  to  the  Father.  He,  himself,  with  re- 
spect to  his  Divinity,  is  called  tlie  Father  and  Maker 
of  all  things.  Let  all  the  Angels  of  Heaven  wor- 
ship him,  was  the  Divine  command  :  and,  according- 
ly, in  the  verse  before  the  text,  John  informs  us,  that 
"  He  saw  and  heard  the  voice  of  many  Angels 
around  the  throne,  and  the  beasts,  and  the  elders, 
and  the  number  of  them  was  ten  thousand  times  ten 
thousand  and  thousands  of  thousands,  saying  with 
a  loud  voice,  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain, 
to  receive  power  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and 
strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing,'' 

In  the  next  verse  he  informs  us,  that  the  Earth 
and  Seas  joined  with  the  Heavenly  Hosts  in  this 
tribute  of  praise,  and  these  expressions  of  homage, 
to  the  Almighty  God  our  Saviour.  "And  every 
creature  which  is  in  Heaven,  and  on  the  Earth  and 
under  the  Earth,  and  such  as  are  in  the  Sea,  and  all 
that  are  in  them,  heard  I,  saying,  Blessing,  and  hon- 
or, and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth 
on  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  for  ever  aud 
ever.*' 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR.  231 

It  will  Dot  be  an  unpleasing,  and  I  hope  not  an 
unprofitable  task,  to  employ  a  few  minutes,  at  pre- 
sent, in  considering  such  of  the  attributes  of  our 
Lord,  as  will  shew  the  propriety  of  these  ascrip- 
tions. This  I  shall  endeavor  to  do,  by  considering 
their  application  to  his  character,  first  as  God,  and 
secondly  as  the  Lamb,  that  was  slain.  The  former 
will  occupy  this  discourse. 

I  need  make  no  apology,  I  hope,  to  this  audience, 
for  entering  so  abruptly  on  the  subject,  without  ad- 
ducing arguments  to  prove,  in  the  first  place,  the 
Divinity  of  our  blessed  Saviour.  This  is  a  point,  in 
which  most  men,  I  believe,  are  well  established,  not- 
withstanding the  opposition  which  has  been  made  to 
it  in  former  times,  and  the  subtle  distinctions  of  some 
late  Theologists. 

I  begin,  therefore,  with  observing,  that  if  infinite 
greatness  and  majesty  can  justify  these  ascriptions, 
they  certainly  belong  to  God.  He  is  the  great  Je- 
hovah, the  King  eternal,  immortal,  and  invisible. 
He  is  the  Supreme  Governor  and  Sovereign  of  the 
Universe,  and  besides  him  there  is  not  another. — 
The  Gods  of  the  Heathen  are  dumb  idols,  and  va- 
nity ;  but  he  is  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords. 
He  is  the  cause,  and  he  the  end  of  all  things,  the 
greatest  and  the  best  of  beings.  All  things  else 
proceeding  from  him,  his  happiness,  alone,  is  un- 
derived ;  his  glory  is  uncreated ;  it  is  above  the 
Earth  and  the  Heavens.  Nay,  the  Heaven  of 
Heavens  cannot  contain  him.  Alone,  unbounded 
and  independent,  he  sitteth  on  the  Throne  of  his 
Glory:  before  him,  the  mountains  flee  away,  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  Earth  are  as  grass-hoppers. 


232        THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

Do  men  behold,  with  admiration,  the  majestic, 
the  valiant,  and  the  strong?  Do  they  venerate 
and  admire  the  great,  the  wonderful ;  do  the  topless 
mountains,  and  unfathomable  deep,  present  to  the 
mind  an  awful  grandeur?  Much  more,  then,  may 
glory,  and  power,  and  might,  be  ascribed  to  God ; 
for,  he  measureth  the  waters  in  the  hollow  of  his 
hand,  and  taketh  up  the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing. 
"  He  hath  measured  the  w  aters,"  says  Isaiah,  "  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  meted  out  Heaven  with 
a  span,  and  weighed  the  mountains  in  scales,  and 
the  hills  in  a  balance.  Behold,  the  nations  are  as 
a  drop  of  a  bucket,  and  are  counted  as  the  small 
dust  of  the  balance.  Behold,  he  taketh  up  the  isles 
as  a  very  little  thing.  And  Lebanon  is  not  suflRci- 
ent  to  burn,  nor  the  beasts  thereof  sufficient  for  a 
burnt- oflfering.  All  nations  before  him,  are  as  no- 
thing, and  they  are  counted  to  him  nothing  and  va- 
nity. The  Lord  excelleth  in  strength ;  he  is  great 
in  might  and  terrible  in  battle." 

If  antiquity  be  that  which  we  behold  with  respect 
and  veneration ;  if  men  rise  up  before  the  hoary 
head,  and  make  obeisance  to  years,  what  honor  and 
glory  are  due  to  the  Ancient  of  Hays,  the  mighty 
God,  the  everlasting  Father  ?  If  frequent  changes 
and  subjection  to  decay,  be  marks  of  weakness,  and 
imperfection,  what  ascriptions  of  praise  are  due  to 
him,  who  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  fore- 
ver ;  with  whom  there  is  no  variableness,  nor  even 
the  shadow  of  turning  ?  "  The  Heavens  shall  be 
wrapped  up  as  a  scroll,"  says  the  Psalmist;  "as  a 
vesture  thou  shalt  change,  and  thou  shalt  fold  them 
up ;  but  thou  remainest  forever  and  ever,  and  to  thy 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVTOFR,  233 

dominion,  there  is  no  end."  "  I  am  tlie  Lord,  I 
change  not."  But,  wliat  language  has  attained  such 
loftv  height,  as  to  descrihe  the  greatness  and  majes- 
ty of  (lod?  What  tongue,  of  men  or  angels,  ran 
declare  his  glorj  ?  The  thousands  of  thousands,  and 
ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  which  surround  his 
throne,  fall  infinitely  beneath  his  praise.  His  pow- 
er and  greatness  are,  in  some  degree,  manifested  by 
all  the  works  of  his  hand ;  iiis  eternal  power  and 
Godhead  are  manifested  by  the  things  that  are  made: 
the  whole  Earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  We  know  that 
he  is  great;  but  how  great,  who  can  tell?  He  is 
infinitely  exalted  above  all  description,  and  the  high- 
est conceptions  of  men  or  of  x\ngels.  He  is  sur- 
rounded with  light  as  with  a  garment ;  unto  which, 
no  mortal  can  ajiproach  and  live.  The  Sun  is  a 
faint  emblem  of  the  great  Creator;  yet,  who  can 
behold  the  Sun,  in  his  meridian  splendor,  with  a 
stedfast  eye  ?  How  infinitely  superior  must  be  his 
brightness,  who  gave  the  Sun  his  lustre?  No  man 
halh  seen  him,  nor  can  see  him.  When  his  servant 
of  old  descended  from  the  mount,  on  which  he  had 
had  some  faint  display  of  the  Creator's  glory,  his 
face  shone  like  the  Sun,  so  that  the  Israelites  could 
not  look  upon  it.  How  great,  then,  how  overwhelm- 
ing to  mortal  view,  must  be  that  brightness,  where 
the  glory  of  God  shineth,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light 
of  it?  Moses  desired  to  see  God's  face,  and  he 
in  mercy  shewed  him  not  his  face,  or  he  had  in- 
stantly expired.  No  man  on  Earrh  ccmld  view  it. 
In  the  holy  city,  where  he  displays  his  glory,  the 
most  exalted  Angels,  which  excel  in  strength,  are 
obliged  to  veil  their  faces  before  him.     He  is  light., 

30 


234  THE  GLORY  OP  THE  SAVIOUR. 

and  in  Him  there  is  no  darkness  at  all.     Great  is 
the  Lord,  then,  and  greatly  to  be  praised. 

2(lly.  God  is  worthy  of  the  ascriptions  in  the  text, 
because  of  his  infinite  holiness.     He  is  the  righteous 
Lord,  who  loveth  righteousness.    He  is  the  holy  one 
of  Israel,  and  holiness  becomes  his  courts.      His 
greatness  is  well  sup|)orted ;  it  is  amiable  as  well  as 
venerable.     He  abuses  it  to  no  unworthy  purposes. 
He  IS  under  no  obligations.    He  cannot  receive  pro- 
fit from  any  of  his  creatures.    He  can  be  deceived  by 
no  artifice ;  he  can  be  terrified  by  no  threats.       He 
is  infinitely  superior  to  all  temptations,  to  unrighte- 
ousness, and  cannot  do  amiss.     Men  who  are  com- 
paratively great,  are  sometimes  disposed  to  abuse 
their  power.    Because  they  are  dependent  on  others, 
they  are  liable  to  be  seduced.     They  are  allured  by 
promises,  or  dismayed  by  threats.     Self  interest,  or 
the  prospect  of  immediate  or  ultimate  advantage, 
disposes  them  sometimes  to  pay  respect  to  persons, 
and   pervert  justice ;  but,  as  such  instances  occur, 
they  destroy  all  the  greatness  and  respectability  of 
their  character.      1  heir  foibles  are  only  rendered 
more  conspicuous,  and  themselves  more  exposed  to 
censure,  by  their  exalted  station.     But,  this  is  not 
the  case  with  him  who  sits  upon  the  throne.    Other- 
wise, he  would  cease  to  be  God,  and  become  alto- 
gether such  an  one  as  ourselves.      He  is  of  purer 
eyes  than  to  behold  iniquity,  and  evil  cannot  dwell 
with  him.       So  infinitely  pure  is  he,  that  the  Hea- 
vens are  not  clean  before  him,  and  his  Angels  are 
charged  with  folly.    W  hen  the  redeemed  on  Earth, 
the  Saints  in  Glory,  and  the  Holy  Angels  which 
surround  the  Throne,  pay  tlieir  homage  to  God,  they 


THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR.  235 

begin  and  end  with  the  praise  of  his  holiness. — 
*'  Thou  art  holy,"  says  the  Psalmist :  ^'  O  thou  that 
inhahitest  the  praises  of  Israel."  We  have  a  grand 
description  of  the  praises  of  God,  for  his  holiness^ 
in  the  6th  of  Isaiah  from  the  beginning:  **  1  saw 
also  the  Lord  sitting  upon  his  Throne,  high  and 
lifted  up,  and  his  train  tilled  the  Temple;  above  it 
stood  tlie  Seraphims;  each  one  had  six  wings;  with 
twain  he  covered  his  face,  and  with  twain  he  cover- 
ed his  feet,  and  with  twain  he  did  fly.  And  one 
cried  unto  another  and  said,  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the 
Lord  God  of  Hosts;  the  whole  Earth  is  full  of  his 
Glory." 

3dly.  It  is  proper,  that  all  creatures  should  ex- 
press their  submission  to  God,  because  he  is  infi- 
nitely powerful.  It  is  fit  to  ascribe  glory  and  pow- 
er and  might  to  Him,  for  he  hath  all  power  in  Heaven 
and  on  Earth.  He  doth  what  lie  pleaseth,  and  who 
can  let  him?  He  ruleth  in  the  armies  of  Heaven, 
and  doth  his  pleasure  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Earth;  and  none  can  stay  his  hand.  Omnipotent 
and  uncontrouled,  he  doth  whatever  he  will.  He 
will  have  the  glory  of  his  sovereignty,  for  his  is  the 
kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever 
and  ever.  He  is  the  great  and  mighty  God ;  great 
in  council  and  wonderful  iu  working.  He  creates 
and  he  destroys  ;  he  kills  and  makes  alive;  he 
brings  down  and  raises  up,  according  to  his  so\e- 
reign  pleasure.  He  supports  the  upright,  and  he 
dashes  the  enemy  in  pieces,  ^'onecan  harden  him- 
self against  him  and  prosper.  *' 1  am  the  Lord," 
saith  he,  "and  there  is  none  else;  1  form  the  ligiit 
and  create  darkness  :  I  make  peace  and  create  evil : 
1,  the  Lord,  do  all  these  things." 


236  THE  GLORV  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

The  councils  of  Kings  and  Princes  are  often  dis- 
appointed ;  their  designs  are  often  thwarted  ;  but 
the  purpose  of  tlie  Lord  of  Hosts,  that  shall  stand, 
and  who  shall  make  it  void?  Who  can  withhold 
bis  hand  from  working?  or  say  unto  him,  what  dost 
thou?  He  speaketh  and  it  is  done ;  he  comman' 
deth  and  it  stands  fast.  Tiiough  men  join  hand  m 
band;  though  Earth  and  Hell  should  league  their 
united  force  against  Him,  they  would  be  as  the  dry 
stubble  before  the  consuming  fire.  Great  is  the 
Lord,  and  matchless  is  his  might.  He  has  the  keys 
of  Death  and  Hell  :  he  shutteth  and  no  man  open- 
eth ;  he  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth.  The  Lord 
of  Hosts  is  his  name. 

4thly.  Wisdom,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  bles- 
sings, are  properly  ascribed  to  God,  because  he  is  infi- 
nitely wise.  Gh)r^  is  due  to  him  that  hath  all  power, 
in  that  he  has  all  wisdom  too.  The  former  is  directed 
in  its  operation  by  the  latter.  "  The  Lord  is  mighty,'" 
saith  Job,  "  in  strength  and  wisdom."  He  knoweth 
how  to  accommodate  all  his  works  to  answer  their  re- 
spective ends,  and  to  manage,  with  infinite  ease  and 
exactness,  all  parts  of  his  dominions.  He  a|)points 
all  the  times  and  seasons,  summer  and  winter,  seed 
time  and  harvest.  He  appoints  the  rising  and  set- 
ting of  the  Sun  and  Moon,  and  the  various  revolu- 
tions of  the  planets,  in  the  most  perfect  harmony  and 
order.  The  rain  and  sunshine,  day  and  night,  are 
ordered  by  his  infinite  wisdom,  to  fertilize  and  re- 
fresh the  earth.  Also,  from  things  the  most  unpro- 
mising, he  produces  good  The  howling  tempest 
and  the  heaving  ocean,  the  impetuous  torrent  and 
the  hurricane,  which  seems  to  rend  the  earth,  con- 
tribute to  the  general  harmony  and  the  health  of  all. 


THE  GLORY  OP  THE  SAVIOUR.  237 

Under  the  direction  and  controul  of  tbe  only  wise 
God,  these  partial  evils,  (to  use  tlie  langua;|;e  of  the 
Poet,)  are  universal  good.  He  bringeth  light  out 
of  darkness,  good  out  of  evil,  and  universal  order 
out  of  partial  confusion. 

So  wise  beyond  conception,  is  the  Supreme  Ru- 
ler of  the  Universe,  that  notwithstanding  the  vari- 
ous tempers  and  difl'erent  pursuits  of  his  intelligent 
creatures,  his  purposes  are  all  accomplished,  his 
glory  advanced,  and  the  general  good  promoted. 
Neither  his  designs  are  thwarted,  nor  their  liberty 
invaded.  There  is  no  disorder,  no  disturbance,  no 
confusion  in  his  most  wisely  conducted  government. 
All  things,  however  opposite  they  may  appear  to 
us,  in  their  natural  tendency,  are  conducted  to 
the  same  conclusion,  the  glory  of  the  Creator  and. 
the  good  of  his  creatures  The  most  disortlerly 
passions,  and  the  most  submissive  temper,  in  the 
end,  advance  his  praise.  He  receiveth  honor  and 
glory  from  his  Saints,  and  be  maketh  the  wrath  of 
man  to  praise  liira.  \\  ell  may  we  say  with  the 
Psalmist,  when  he  surveyed  the  works  of  God, 
"How  manifold  are  thy  works,  0!  Lord,  and.  in 
wisdom  thou  hast  made  them  all." 

5thly.  God  is  infinitely  good,  and,  therefore,  he 
should  receive  praise  from  all  his  works.  His  ten- 
der mercies  are  over  all  his  works.  His  goodness, 
his  wisdom,  and  his  power,  are  all  employed  for  the 
protection  and  happiness  of  his  creatures.  He 
maketh  all  things  to  work  toi^ether  in  the  end,  for 
good  to  those  that  love  him,  and  that  walk  upright- 
ly. The  Lord  is  great,  and,  therefore,  we  should 
fear  him :  the  Lord  is  kind,  and,  therefore,  let  us 
praise  him. 


238  THE  GLORY  OF  THE  SAVIOUR. 

Lastly,  if  the  right  of  creation  be  a  sufficient  title 
to  hoiior  and  praise,  then  power  and  riches,  and 
wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and 
blessing,  are  to  be  ascribed  to  God.  It  is  most  fit 
that  he  should  receive  praise  from  all  on  Earth 
and  in  Heaven,  for,  "  All  things  were  made  by  him, 
and  without  bim  was  not  any  thing  made  that  was 
made."  "  By  him,''  says  the  Apostle,  "  were  all 
things  created  that  are  in  Heaven,  and  that  are  in 
Earth,  visible  and  invisible,  whether  th^y  be  Thrones 
or  Dominions,  Principalities  or  Powers;  all  things 
were  created  for  him  and  by  him,  and  he  is  before 
all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist."  To  him 
should,  therefore,  be  ascribed  the  creditof  his  works, 
for  he  made  them,  and  they  are  very  good.  The 
language  of  the  whole  creation,  is  praise  to  the  great 
Creator.  "  The  Heavens  declare  his  glory,  and  the 
firmament  sheweth  forth  his  handy  work.  Day 
unto  day  uttcreth  speech,  and  night  unto  night  teach- 
eth  knowledge  of  him  " 

It  is  fit  that  riches  should  be  ascribed  to  him,  for 
he  is  the  sovereign  proprietor  of  all  things,  and  he 
made  them  for  his  own  glory.  "  Whatsoever  is  un- 
der the  whole  Heaven,"  says  God,  *'  is  mine."  The 
flocks  that  range  the  valley,  and  the  cattle  on  a 
thousand  hills  are  his.  The  whole  earth  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  fullness  of  it. 

He  is  the  former  of  our  bodies,  and  the  father  of 
our  spirits.  "All  souls  are  mine,"  says  he;  ''as 
the  soul  of  the  father,  so,  also,  the  soul  of  the  son 
is  mine.  I  have  made  the  earth  and  created  man 
upon  it."  It  is  meet  that  we  should  praise  the 
Lord,  for  our  souls  and  bodies  are  his.  '*  Worthy 
art  thou,  0 !  Lord,  to  receive  glory,  and  honor,  and 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED.  239 

power :  for  thou  hast  created  all  things,  and  for  thy 
pleasure  they  are  and  \vere  created."  "  Bless  the 
Lord,  ye  his  Angels,  that  excel  in  strength.  Bless 
ye  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  Hosts ;  ye  ministers  of  his 
that  do  his  pleasure.  Bless  the  Lord,  all  his  works 
in  all  places  of  his  domiuiou  :  bless  the  Lord,  O!  my 
soul.'' 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED. 

^^But  wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children  J^ 

Matthew,  Uih  chap.  I9lh  verse. 

It  is  no  objection  against  any  institution,  that  the 
clamours  of  men  are  loud  again.st  it,  if  they  be  found, 
upon  examination,  to  be  the  eft'ect  of  ignorance  or 
prejudice.  The  former  cannot  understand  it  tho- 
roughly ;  the  latter  will  not  represent  it  fairly. 

The  Christian  system,  and  the  conduct  of  its  au- 
thor, have  been  assailed  from  both  these  quarters; 
and  they  appeal  from  their  decision  to  the  judgment 
of  the  wise  and  upright,  who  have  understanding 
to  comprehend  their  design,  and  candour  sufficient 
to  judge  impartially  of  their  principles.  Before 
these  judges,  it  is  presumed  that  our  Holy  Religion 
will  bear  the  strictest  scrutiny;  and,  that  a  full  jus- 


240  WISDOM  JUSTIFIED. 

tification  will  be  the  event  of  the  trial.  On  these 
grounds  our  Saviour  joins  issue  with  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees;  an<l  he  delivered  the  words  which 
are  contained  in  the  text,  as  an  answer  to  the  cavils 
which  they  made  on  account  of  the  different  circum- 
stances in  which  he  and  his  fore-runner,  John  the 
Baptist,  made  their  a[>|)earance  in  the  world.  Their 
objections  are  stated  in  these  words:  "John  came 
neither  eating  nor  drinking:  and,  they  say,  he  hath 
a  Devil."  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  eating  and 
drinking;  and,  they  say,  Behold!  a  man  glutton- 
ous, and  a  wine- bibber,  a  friend  of  publicans  and 
sinners." 

One  would  have  thought,  indeed,  that  the  auste- 
rity of  their  own  manners  should  have  prevented  the 
first  of  these  objections  ;  for,  they  themselves  are  re- 
presented as  fasting  often,  or  at  least  appearing  to 
do  .so,  by  being  of  »^  a  sad  countenance,  and  disfigu- 
ring their  faces."  At  any  rate,  the  first  objection 
should  have  precluded  the  second  ;  for,  if  John  was 
reprehensible,  in  their  opinion,  for  not  eating  and 
drinking,  our  Saviour  might  be  expected  to  escape 
their  censure,  for  the  circumstances  of  his  appear- 
ance were  directly  the  reverse.  Both  of  them  toge- 
ther, however,  exhibited  an  evidence  of  rooted  pre- 
judice too  strong  to  remove,  and  a  perverseness  of 
temper  too  difficult  to  please.  The  matter  is  then 
submitted  to  the  judgment  of  the  candid  and  sincere: 
to  those  who  have  no  prejudices  to  maintain,  but  are 
open  to  the  conviction  of  truth.  This  1  take  to  be 
the  import  of  the  text:  "But  wisdom  is  justified  of 
her  children."  This  is  the  simple  proposition  which 
1  am  now  to  cou^ider. 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED.  241 

One  great  end  of  our  Saviour's  mission  from 
Heaven,  was  to  introduce  and  establish  a  religion 
which  would  be  acceptable  to  God ;  to  reform  the 
world,  re-claim  men  from  sin,  and  teach  them  the 
things  which  belonged  both  to  their  present  and  their 
future  peace.  Taking  for  granted,  at  present,  the 
tendency  of  his  precepts  to  accomplish  those  objects, 
1  deem  it  pretty  evident,  that  wisdom  would  dictate, 
.and  reason  justify,  the  measure  of  endeavoring  to 
conciliate,  by  his  manners,  the  affection  of  those 
whom  he  wished  to  benefit  by  his  instructions.  For 
this  purpose,  the  Son  of  God  was  found  on  Earth 
in  fashion  as  a  man.  He  took  every  opportunity  of 
testifying  his  humanity,  yet  always  supported  his 
dignity.  He  was  condescending  in  his  manners,  but 
never  low;  he  did  good  without  ostentation;  he 
was  affable,  yet  always  seasoned  his  discourse  with 
wholesome  instructions,  and  the  most  unaffected  pie- 
ty. He  was  serious,  but  never  gloomy ;  and  if,  at  any 
time,  he  was  cheerful,  yet  nothing  of  levity  appear- 
ed in  his  deportment.  He  was  an  enemy  to  vice,  but 
he  was  a  friend  to  sinners.  He  reproved  the  former 
by  his  innocence,  and  recommended  virtue  by  his  ex- 
ample. Such  was  the  character  of  the  great  teach- 
er sent  from  God.  Had  he  come  to  advance  the 
Jewish  Church  or  nation  only,  we  should  have 
expected  to  see  something  of  the  Pharisee  in  him, 
which  would  no  doubt  have  recommended  him  to 
that  sect.  But,  then,  his  wisdom  would  have  been 
confined  to  the  Sanhedrim,  and  his  good  offices  to 
the  Jews  exclusively.  On  the  contrary,  he  came  to 
bring  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  to  the  world  at 
large ;  and,  therefore,  made  no  distinctions,  but  con- 

31 


242  WISDOM  JUSTIFIED. 

versed  with  all,  and  preached  the  Gospel  to  the 
poor.  He  discoursed  in  private,  or  minified  with 
the  croud,  as  opportunity  oflPered,  or  necessity  re- 
quired. He  sometimes  honored  a  marriage  with  his 
presence,  and  sometimes  ate  with  publicans  and 
sinners.  For  the  latter,  he  was  reproached  by  the 
Jews ;  but,  the  reason  which  he  assigned  for  it,  w  as 
not  only  a  justification  of  his  own  conduct,  but  a  se- 
vere reproof  also  to  his  revilers.  "  1  came  not  to 
call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance;  and 
the  whole  need  not  a  physician,  but  those  that  are 
sick."  His  great  object  was  to  reform  the  vicious, 
to  instruct  the  ignorant,  and  open  the  eyes  of  the 
blind.  Accordingly,  he  was  equally  accessible  to 
all  descriptions  of  men,  and  he  ever  mingled  ten- 
derness with  reproof,  benevolence  with  instruction, 
and  pleasure  with  utility.  What,  if  his  superior 
excellence  had  been  accompanied  with  pride,  and 
his  wisdom  with  reserve?  What,  if  he  had  asso- 
ciated only  with  the  great,  conversed  only  with  the 
wise,  and  restricted  his  courtesy  and  benevolence 
to  the  rich  ?  Where  would  the  poor  have  found  a 
friend  ?  Where  would  the  afflicted  have  found  a 
refuge?  And  from  whom  would  the  ignorant  have 
received  information?  Such  a  conduct  would  have 
served  only  to  foster  the  pride  of  a  few  ;  the  bulk  of 
mankind  had  been  kept  at  a  distance ;  the  benevo- 
lent intentions  of  our  blessed  Saviour  would  have 
been  frustrated,  and  the  object  of  his  mission  failed. 
His  holy  religion  would  not  have  been  established, 
but  the  world,  at  this  day,  would  have  been  over- 
whelmed with  darkness,  and  perplexed  in  the  inex- 
K'icable  labyrinths  of  bigotry,  superstition  and  enor. 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED.  243 

Had  our  Saviour  appeared  in  the  circumstances  in 
whi(  li  the  Jews  expected  he  would,  and  wished  he 
sliould  appear ;  I  mean  with  many  outward  badges 
of  pump,  and  power,  and  splendor  as  a  great  tempo- 
ral Prince,   he   would  have  been  well  received  by 
them,  indeed  ;  he  might  have  relieved  them  from  the 
Koman  yoke,  have  restored  their  liberties,  and  re- 
established their  government ;  but,  there  his  commis- 
sion would  have  ended.     A.ny  wholesome  regula- 
tions he  might  have  instituted,  would  have  been  con- 
fined to  one  nation  only,  and  would  have  been  ge- 
nerally attributed,  not  to  any  intrinsic  excellencies  ia 
the  things  themselves  above  other  institutions,  but 
only  to  the  temporary  influence  which  is  always  atten- 
dant on  power.    Ciiristianity  would,  at  this  day,  per- 
haps, have  been  in  little  higher  estimation  than  the 
religion,  if  it  may  be  called  so,  of  Mahomet,  which 
was  conceived  in  ambition,  and    enforced  by  the 
sword.     The  private  citizen  of  Mecca,  though  at- 
tended by  all  the  favourable  circumstances  of  fami- 
ly and  fortune,  made  few  or  no  proselytes  to  his 
scheme,  until  he  became,  by  a  stratagem,  the  sove- 
reign of  Medina,  and  was  placed  at  the  head  of  an 
army.    Such  a  leader  the  Jews,  it  seems,  would  have 
wished ;  and  if  such  had  been  the  case,  however 
excellent  might  have  been  the  institution,  its  credit 
would  soon  have  been  destroyed  by  the  very  means 
of  its  first  propagation.     Its  adoption  would  have 
been  considered  as  the  effect,  not  of  choice,   but 
compulsion ;  and  its  principles,  not  the  dictate  of 
wisdom,  but  the  prescriptions  of  power.     Now  the 
conduct  which  our  Saviour  displayed  and  the  means 
which  he  used,  were  the  reverse  of  all  this.     Tiicy 


244  WISDOM  JUSTIFIED. 

wore  the  occasion  of  much  reproach  in  his  time ; 
yet,  the  wisdom  of  them  is  justified  of  all  her  chil- 
dren by  the  event  itself.  He  was  not  austere,  but 
affable  in  his  manners,  and  his  benevolence  was  not 
restricted,  but  universal.  His  doctrines  were  new 
indeed,  but  they  were  rational :  they  were  not  at 
first  popular,  but  they  were  sound.  They  did  not 
avail  themselves  of  popular  prejudices,  but  directly 
encountered  them.  They  were  delivered  by  our  Sa- 
viour, with  candour  and  fidelity,  and  he  preached 
them  openly  in  the  synagogue.  They  did  not  hide 
themselves  in  mystery  and  darkness  ;  but  with  that 
conscious  integrity  which  is  peculiar  to  truth,  they 
sought  the  light.  They  were  the  result  of  infinite 
wisdom,  and  they  were  suffered  by  their  author  to 
staud  upon  their  own  intrinsic  excellence.  He  used 
no  weapon  but  truth,  no  argument  but  reason,  no 
art  but  persuasion.  They  had  no  powerful  friends 
to  patronize  them,  no  formidable  armies  to  enforce 
the  reception  of  them.  The  station  in  life  which 
their  blessed  author  assumed,  was  the  most  humble; 
but,  through  that  humility,  the  wisdom  of  his  pre- 
cepts shone  the  more  conspicuous.  This  circum- 
stance extorted  the  expression  of  wonder  and  surprise 
from  his  enemies,  ^*  Whence  hath  this  Man  all  this 
wisdom  ?''  His  retinue  was  not  a  band  of  soldiers, 
but  a  company  of  men,  whom  his  innocence  had  cap- 
tivated, whom  his  w  isdom  had  enlightened,  whom  his 
bounty  had  relieved,  or  his  benevolence  attached  to 
him:  who  were  at  once  proselytes  to  his  doctrine, 
and  tlie  beneficiaries  of  his  goodness.  The  propa- 
gators of  his  gospel  were  not  temporal  Princes,  nor 
members  of  the  Jewish  Sanhedran,  uor  eloquent 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED.  245 

Koman  orators,  nor  refined  philosophers  of  Greece ; 
but  a  company  of  fishermen,  neither  armed  with 
power,  nor  dignified  by  station,  nor  accomplished  in 
human  literature.  The  means  by  which  the  gospel 
was  propagated,  have,  some  of  them,  been  mention- 
ed :  Behold  here  the  instruments !  Wisdom  is  here 
again  justified  by  her  children.  The  conviction 
which  such  men  would  produce  on  the  minds  of 
others,  can  be  resolved  into  nothing  else  than  that 
conviction  which  truth  inspires,  and  the  impression 
must  be  lasting.  When  by  their  instrumentality  the 
gospel  gained  ground  continually :  when  it  con- 
quered the  most  stubborn  prejudices;  when  it  with- 
stood the  frowns  of  human  pride,  and  baffled  all  the 
subtleties  of  human  wisdom :  if  it  made  its  way, 
not  only  unaided  by  civil  authority,  but  when  the 
powers  of  the  Earth  were  combined  against  it ;  it  is 
an  evidence,  that  the  doctrine  itself  is  founded  in 
reason ;  and  a  plain  indication  also,  that  the  power 
was  not  of  man,  but  of  God. 

Now,  let  all  these  things  be  put  together  and  du- 
ly considered ;  let  us  keep  in  view  the  great  objects 
of  our  Saviour's  mission,  and  the  means  which 
he  used  for  their  accomplishment,  and  see  if  they 
do  not  correspond  with  the  strictest  properties  of 
wisdom.  Wisdom  consists  in  two  things;  first, 
in  the  pursuit  of  a  valuable  object :  and,  secondly, 
in  employing  means  which  are  the  best  calcula- 
ted to  obtain  that  object.  What  more  worthy  ob- 
ject could  our  Saviour  have  had  in  view,  than  to 
maintain  the  government,  and  make  honourable  the 
Law  of  God :  to  make  atonement  for  sin,  and  pro- 
cure Salvation  for  sinners  ?  The  means  he  used,  that 


246  WISDOM  JUSTIFIEB. 

men  might  partake  of  his  Salvation,  were  instruction 
to  the  ignorant,  warning  to  the  guilty,  and  encour- 
agement to  the  penitent.  If  these  means  are  deemed 
improper,  then  let  us  for  a  moment  substitute  in  their 
place,  those  which  the  wisdom  of  this  world  would 
have  devised.  Instead  of  the  humble  form  of  Jo- 
seph, the  carpenter's  son,  he  should  have  assumed 
that  of  a  mighty  Prince.  In  that  case,  he  would 
have  been  an  example  and  a  companion,  only  for 
Kiiigs,  His  followers  would  have  been  a  servile 
herd  of  flatterers  and  sycophants ;  of  hypocrites  and 
knaves.  The  poor,  would  scarcely  have  ventured 
to  approach  the  splendid  Palace.  It  would  have 
been  guarded  probably,  by  the  proud,  disdainful 
Pharisee,  who  could  pay  his  tithes ;  and  the  poor 
Publican  would  have  smitten  his  breast  in  vain. 

Again,  he  ought  not  have  conversed  with  publicans 
and  sinners.  With  whom,  then?  why,  the  Pharisees. 
But,  he  did  not  come  to  call  the  righteous,  but,  sin- 
ners to  repentance.  If  he  had  messages  of  Grace 
to  deliver;  if  he  had  ofliers  of  pardon  to  proclaim, 
to  whom  should  he  have  delivered  such  messages, 
to  whom  should  he  have  made  such  offers,  but  to 
those,  w  ho  were  sensible  of  their  guilt  and  misery  ? 
They  would  have  been  entirely  lost,  upon  those 
self-righteous  characters,  who  made  the  objection 
against  him.  But  they  were  acceptable  ;  they  were 
glad-tidings  to  the  **lost  sheep  of  the  House  of  Is- 
rael." And  if  he  was  a  Physician,  surely  the  sick 
were  the  proper  objects  of  cure. 

But,  he  ought  to  have  conquered  his  enemies;  he 
should  have  compelled  them  to  embrace  his  doc- 
trines, whether  they  would  or  not.     Yes,  if  it  had 


WISDOM  JUSTIFIED.  247 

been  liis  object  to  render  men  more  deceitful  and 
hypocritical  than  they  were,  this  would  indeed 
have  l)een  the  most  ready  way.  We  have  had  ex- 
amples enough  of  such  a  plan,  and  have  seen  its 
effects.  We  have  seen  religious  establishments  by 
human  authority  :  we  have  heard  much  of  inquisi- 
tions, of  fines,  penalties  and  imprisonments,  in  or- 
der to  procure  a  conformity  in  matters  of  religion. 
And  what  has  been  the  consequence?  Why, 
swarms  of  hypocrites  on  the  one  hand,  and  of 
blood  thirsty  persecutors  on  the  other.  Religion 
has  never  been  found  to  flourish  under  such  man- 
agement. It  suffers  by  it  to  this  very  day ;  for,  this 
very  circumstance  has  principally  given  rise  to  the 
hackneyed  reproach  which  is  cast  upon  it  by  infi- 
dels ;  that  it  is  a  piece  of  priest-craft,  and  a  trick  of 
State.  Indeed,  when  the  sincere  and  genuine 
Christian  considers  what  a  dreadful  engine  of  de- 
struction it  has  been  made,  by  wicked  men:  when 
he  casts  his  eye  over  the  historic  page,  all  besmear- 
ed with  human  blood,  shed  by  the  hands  of  barba- 
rous persecutors,  he  cannot  help,  if  I  may  borrow 
the  expression,  *^  wrapping  himself  up  in  the  man- 
tle of  mourning,"  for  the  disiionor  done  to  the  benign 
and  Holy  lieligion  of  our  blessed  Saviour. 


248  EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS. 


EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS. 

'<  Hie  righteous  is  more  excellent  than  his  neigh- 
bor f  but  the  way  of  the  wicked  seduceth  themJ^ 

Proverbs,  Tilh  chap.  26th  verse. 

An  ambition  to  excel,  seems  to  be  common  to  all 
men.  In  a  competition  for  superiority,  they  all  en- 
gage ;  but,  it  does  not  seem  to  be  agreed  amongst 
them  in  what  it  consists,  or  what  are  the  most  pro- 
per means  of  obtaining  it.  The  rich  generally  claim 
to  be  superior  to  the  poor,  and  the  sons  of  science 
to  the  illiterate;  whilst  the  man  of  fashion  looks 
down  upon  them  all,  as  from  some  higher  station. 
Without  deciding,  however,  upon  their  respective 
pretensions,  I  shall  beg  leave,  at  present,  to  direct 
your  attention  to  a  character  which  is  represented 
in  the  passage  before  us,  as  more  excellent  than  any 
other.  It  is  found  in  a  collection  of  maxims  or  pro- 
verbs, by  Solomon,  the  wisest  of  men,  addressed  to 
his  son.  They  are  intended  to  form  the  mind  of 
the  Prince  for  real  greatness,  and  point  out  to  him 
the  path  in  which  superior  honor  was  to  be  acquir- 
ed. In  his  judgment,  to  be  truly  good  and  virtu- 
ous, was  alone  to  excel.  Whether  his  circumstan- 
ces in  life  were  equal  or  not;  whether  he  was  afflu- 
ent or  indigent ;  whether  he  lived  in  state,  or  were 
the  tenant  of  the  most  humble  cottage,  were  matters 
of  inferior  moment ;  for,  every  consideration  of  this 
kind  being  against  him,  the  righteous  man  was  still 


EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS.  249 

more  excellent  than  his  neighbour,  m  ho  should  be  of 
an  opposite  description.  1  say  of  an  opposite  de- 
scription ;  because,  if  this  is  not  directly  expressed, 
it  is  necessarily  implied.  The  reason  for  which,  in 
the  opinion  of  Solomon,  one  man  was  more  excel- 
lent than  another,  is,  that  he  is  righteous.  In  the 
further  prosecution  of  this  subject,  1  propose,  in  the 
jBrst  place,  to  delineate,  very  briefly,  the  character 
of  the  righteous  man.  And  in  the  second,  to  main- 
tain the  position  in  the  text,  that  the  righteous  is 
more  excellent  than  his  neighbour. 

1.  As  to  the  first  of  these,  I  begin  with  observing, 
that  when  we  speak  of  righteousness,  we  have  re- 
spect to  some  rule,  by  which  the  conduct  of  our  lives 
is  to  be  regulated,  and  the  purity  of  our  hearts  attest- 
ed. To  act  agreeably  to  this  rule,  in  all  respects,  is  to 
be  perfectly  righteous ;  and  he  who  deviates  less 
from  it  than  another,  is  more  righteous  than  the  lat- 
ter. There  is  no  doubt  at  all,  but  that  the  will  of 
God  is  this  rule  to  his  creatures,  whenever  it  can  be 
ascertained. 

The  question  often  agitated  amongst  Divines  and 
others,  -whether  the  obligation  of  this  rule,  upon  us, 
is  merely  its  being  "the  will  of  the  Creator;  or^.in 
addition  to  tliis,  its  being  consonant  with  what  they 
call  the  reason  and  fitness  of  things,"  is  of  little 
moment  in  the  present  discussion ;  it  being  always 
admitted,  that  when  this  will  is  known,  the  rule  is 
ascertained.  1  must  observe,  however,  that  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  sufficient- 
ly recommend  themselves  to  us  as  a  revelation  of 
the  Divine  will,  if  we  consider  the  miracles  by  which 
they  were  propagated,  the  sanction  by  which  they 

32 


250  EXCELLENCY  Or  THE  RIGHTEOUS. 

are  enforced,  tlie  effects  with  which  they  have  ever 
been  attended,  the  instruction  they  convey,  their  in- 
herent purity,  or  their  wholesome  tendency.  Their 
precepts  are  such  as  we  are  obliged  to  approve,  not- 
withstanding the  depravity  of  human  nature,  how- 
ever little  we  may  relish  the  severity  of  their  re- 
straints. -<  "  Thy  word  is  truth,"  said  our  blessed 
Saviour,  and  the  sentiment  of  the  Psalmist  was, 
"  Thy  word,  O !  God,  is  a  lamp  to  my  feet  and  a 
light  to  my  path."  Taking  this,  then,  for  our  guide, 
the  following  is  in  substance,  the  cliaracter  of  the 
righteous  man :  he  walks  uprightly,  and  he  hates 
deceit;  he  loves  mercy,  and  he  acts  justly.  He 
protects  the  helpless,  befriends  the  fatherless,  cheers 
the  afflicted  and  relieves  the  poor.  Placable  to  his 
enemies  and  faithful  to  his  friends,  he  forgives  free- 
ly, and  he  loves  sincerely.  He  follows  peace  with 
all  men,  and  whatsoever  he  would  have  them  do  to 
him,  that  is  the  measure  of  his  conduct  towards  them. 
This  is  a  part  of  his  character,  but  this  is  not  all. 
To  crown  the  whole,  he  is  pure  and  upright  in  heart, 
in  the  sight  of  his  Heavenly  Father.  He  loves  the 
Lord  his  God,  with  all  his  heart.  He  obeys  from  a 
principle  of  love,  and  he  loves  from  a  principle  of 
holiness.  Hence  his  benevolence  to  his  fellow  men, 
whom  he  considers  as  children  of  the  same  family, 
is  not  with  him  an  empty  name.  His  charity  to  the 
poor,  is  not  the  effect  of  ostentation,  nor  his  justice 
of  a  selfish  policy.  Formed  by  the  model  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  his  piety  to  God  is  genuine,  and 
his  professions  of  benevolence  to  men,  sincere.  In 
him  you  behold  the  pleasing  union  of  piety  and 
good  works,  of  prayers  and  of  alms ;  of  the  Apos- 


EXCELLENCY  OP  THE  RIGHTEOUS.      251 

tic  in  short,  who  toucliing  the  law,  was  blameless, 
and,  of  the  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no 
guile.  1  shall  conclude  this  head,  with  a  short  quo- 
tation, on  the  character  we 'have  been  considering, 
from  the  Book  of  Job.  "  I  put  on  righteousness,'' 
says  he,  "and  it  clothed  me.  My  judgment  was  a 
robe  and  a  diadem.  1  was  eyes  to  the  blind,  and 
feet  was  I  to  the  lame.  1  was  a  father  to  the  poor, 
and  the  cause  which  1  knew  not,  I  searched  out.'' 
"  When  the  ear  heard  me,  then  it  blessed  me,  and 
when  the  eye  saw  me,  it  bear  witness  to  me ;  because 
1  delivered  the  poor  that  cried,  and  the  fatherless, 
and  him  that  had  none  to  help  him.  The  blessing  of 
him  that  was  ready  to  perish,  came  upon  me ;  and 
I  caused  the  widow's  heart  to  sing  for  joy." 

Such  is  the  character  of  the  righteous  man.  It 
is  truly  amiable:  and  while  we  admire  its  beauty 
and  excellence,  we  cannot  but  regret,  that  it  is  so 
rare  on  earth.  Time  was,  when  such  was  not  the 
case.  Even  in  this  day,  there  are  some  here  and 
there,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  who  at  least  endeavour  to 
deserve  it.  But,  indeed,  now  that  the  word  and 
spirit  of  God,  which  are  necessary  to  form  it,  are, 
the  one,  so  much  derided,  and  the  other  resisted, 
they  are,  alas  !  but  few. 

2.  It  remains  now  to  shew,  that  these  are  the  tru- 
ly excellent  ones  of  the  Earth.  This  is,  in  sub- 
stance, what  I  proposed  under  the  second  head  of 
this  discourse,  which  was  to  maintain  the  position  in 
the  text,  that  the  righteous  is  more  excellent  than 
his  neighbour.  I  have  observed  already,  that  it  ne- 
cessarily goes  on  the  presumption,  that  his  neigh- 
hour  is  of  an  opposite  character.    Contrasting  this, 


252      EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS. 

then,  with  that  which  has  been  described,  it  is  evi- 
dent, tliat  a  comparison  between  the  two,  is  but  a 
comparsiou  between  the  loveliness  of  virtue,  and 
the  deformity  of  vice.  '-Form  in  your  minds,  a  con- 
trast to   the  several  traits   which  compose  the  de- 
scription of  the  righteous  man,  and  the  result  is  ob- 
vious.    Let  the  crafty  and  insidious  be  compared 
with  the  honest  and  sincere,  the  blasphemer  with 
the  pious,  and  the  charitable  with  the  extortioner. 
Collect  all  the  treasures  of  dishonest  gain,  and  com- 
pare them  with  the  peaceful  pittance  of  the  poorest 
Saint.     Let  vice,  attired  in  its  most  guady  dress,  be 
brought  into  a  comparison  with  the  spotless  robe 
w  hich  adorns  the  righteous  man ;  and  without  wait- 
ing your  decision,  itself  will  forthwith  retire  asham- 
ed to  the  shades  of  night.     Let  the  poor  that  cry, 
let  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  had  no  helper,  re- 
late to  you  their  several  tales  of  woe,  let  them  point 
out  the  man  who  made  their  sorrows  flow,  and  him 
who  soothed  their  grief  and  wiped  their  tears  away  : 
let  the  solitary  widow  tell,  who  caused  her  heart  to 
bleed,  and  who  it  was  that  made  it  sing  for  joy,  and 
you  will  join  with  them  to  bless  the  man  who  had  a 
heart  to  pity  and  relieve  them.     There  can  be  no 
sort  of  competition  between  these  two  characters. 
As  well  might  the  darkness  of  midnight  contend  for 
brightness  with  the  splendor  of  the  sun  :  Nay,  more, 
the  one  resembles  the  merciful  Father  of  the  Uni- 
verse ;  the  other,  the  common  enemy  of  God  and  man. 
The  tendency  of  virtue  to  promote  the  happiness 
of  the  world,  and  the  long  train  of  evils  with  which 
vice  is  evermore  attended,  bear  the  most  honorable 
and  pointed  testimony  to  the  superior  excellence  of 


EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS.      253 

the  righteous  man,  who  is  so  in  proportion  as  he 
cultivates  the  one  and  discards  tlie  other.  To  give 
a  detail  of  these,  and  point  out  their  connection  with 
human  happiness,  would  protract  this  discourse  to 
too  great  a  length.  Suffice  it  just  to  say,  that  the 
God  of  Nature  hath  established  this  connection,  and 
that  the  truth  of  it  is  confirmed  by  the  experi- 
ence of  every  day.  Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation 
and  ennobles  the  individual,  whilst  the  effects  of 
vice  are  public  calamity  and  personal  disgrace.  In 
support  of  these  remarks,  so  far  as  they  respect  in- 
dividuals, 1  beg  leave  to  offer  you  the  concurrent  tes- 
timony of  all  nations  and  of  all  men,  the  most  dis- 
solute and  licentious  not  excepted.  The  character 
and  respective  merits  of  nations  might,  indeed,  be 
very  justly  ascertained  by  the  same  criterion  ;  but, 
as  these  are  not  now  put  in  competition,  1  shall  only 
mention  a  general  maxim  respecting  them,  which 
some  hold  to  be  true,  but  which,  nevertheless,  is  in 
all  probability  false:  it  is,  that  things  which  are 
morally  evil  may  be  politically  good.  This  maxim 
has,  indeed,  respectable  authority  to  support  it;  but, 
it  seems  contrary  to  the  very  nature  of  things,  and 
it  yet  remains  for  any  community  to  experience  its 
truth,  or  to  practice  upon  it  with  success;  I  mean, 
for  any  length  of  time.  It  will  ever  remain  true  of 
nations,  that  righteousness  will  exalt  them,  and  that 
sin  will  sooner  or  later  prove  the  reproach  of  any 
people.  That  places  them  on  high  and  stable 
ground,  while  treachery  and  fraud,  if  they  do  not 
bring  immediate  destruction,  will  at  least  entail  in- 
delible disgrace. 


254      EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS. 

Neither  success  nor  reputation  is  reckoned  amongst 
the  advantages,  which  tlie  Carthagenians  derived  from 
their  proverbial  Punic  faith.  It  is  true,  indeed,  that 
brilliancy  of  talents  and  exploits  may,  for  a  while, 
conceal  the  defects  of  moral  character,  from  those 
whose  eyes  are  dazzled  by  their  lustre ;  but,  a  little 
time  will  always  discover,  that  they  are  the  most 
approved  rulers,  and  those  the  happiest  people,  who 
derive  their  politics  from  the  ethics  of  the  Gospel; 
from  the  holy  word  of  God. 

But,  as  the  proposition  in  the  text  seems  to  con- 
template the  respective  merits  of  individuals,  rather 
than  of  communities,  it  is  to  the  former  that  it  is 
principally  to  be  applied.  I  proceed  to  observe, 
therefore,  that  the  righteous  man  is  more  excellent 
than  his  neighbour,  in  the  judgment  of  the  world, 
in  the  judgment  of  his  neighbour  himself,  and  above 
all,  in  the  estimation  of  God. 

The  concurrent  testimony  of  all  mankind  is  in 
favour  of  virtue;  and,  when  for  any  laudable  pur- 
pose, confidence  is  to  be  reposed,  it  is  with  the  grea- 
test security  reposed  in  the  upright  man;  in  him, 
who  means  to  do  what  is  right,  and  is  disposed  to 
act  conscientiously.  Who  does  not  at  once  disco- 
ver and  acknowledge  the  necessity  of  rectitude  in 
the  magistrate,  and  of  uprightness,  as  well  as  talents^ 
in  the  judge? 

It  has  ever  been  the  art  of  those  who  would  injure 
the  interest  of  their  personal  or  political  adversaries, 
to  take  advantage  of  any  defect,  which  they  may  have 
discovered  in  their  moral  character,  however  low  they 
may  be  sunk  in  vice  themselves.     And  this  is  an 


EXCELLENCY  OF  THE  RIGHTEOUS.  255 

homage  which  vice  is  evermore  constrained  to  pay 
to  virtue;  that  it  not  only  attempts  to  put  on  its 
semblance,  when  any  advantage  is  to  be  gained ;  hut 
looks  up  to  it,  as  the  solemn  tribunal,  from  whence 
tlie  decisive  sentence  is  to  be  pronounced. 

In  personal  altercations  between  irreligious  men, 
it  is  never,  if  it  can  be  avoided,  one  of  their  own 
stamp,  but  the  righteous  man,  that  is  appointed  um- 
pire. The  aggrieved  would  be  loth  to  submit  the 
decision  of  his  cause,  to  an  unprincipled  tribunal, 
for  he  knows  that  it  is  the  part  of  wicked  men,  to 
pervert  judgment;  nor  would  the  aggressor  himself 
appeal  to  him  with  confidence,  lest  the  superior  in- 
fluence of  his  adversary  should  extort,  or  entice 
rather,  from  the  judge  a  righteous  sentence.  In 
cases  more  public  and  important,  of  judicial  process 
before  a  court  of  justice,  every  body  must  have  ob- 
served the  prodigious  influence  of  character,  in  the 
estimation  of  men.  If  the  upright,  good  man,  be  a 
witness,  the  excellency  of  his  character,  corroborates 
the  particulars  of  his  testimony,  and  sets  the  stamp 
of  truth  on  all  that  he  says.  Every  body  knows 
him,  and  every  body  believes  him.  So  powerful  is 
this  principle,  that  as  well  as  1  recollect,  it  was  de- 
creed in  Athens  that  the  simple  word  of  Aristides 
should  be  received  in  evidence,  without  his  oath. 
This  was  owing  to  his  established  credit  for  veracity. 

But,  the  righteous  man  may  also  be  arraigned. 
Here,  the  fairness  of  his  reputation  stands  him  in- 
stead. As  far  as  it  goes,  and  as  long  as  it  remains 
unimpeached,  it  answers  the  double  purpose  of  re- 
butting the  charges  exhibited  against  him,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  strengthening,  on  the  other,  every  legal 


256  COVETOUSNESS. 

presumption  of  bis  innocence.  Now,  if  in  your 
minds  you  will  for  a  moment  reverse  the  picture,  I 
need  not  stay  to  point  out  to  you  the  disadvantages 
nnder  which  the  profane  and  unprincipled  must  la- 
bour, in  either  of  the  two  cases  supposed. 

But,  if  the  righteous  is  more  excellent  than  bis 
neighbour  in  the  judgment,  even  of  wicked  men, 
how  much  more  so  must  be  be  in  the  estimation  of 
the  righteous  Lord,  who  loveth  righteousness? 


ON  COVETOUSNESS. 

^^Jlnd  ha  said  unto  fhem^  Take  heed,  and  beware  of 
Covetousness  ;  for,  a  man's  lije  consisteth  not  in 
the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possessethJ'^ 

Luke,  12th  chap.  15th  verse. 

There  is  nothing  more  plain,  and  yet  nothing, 
perhaps,  more  generally  mistaken,  than  the  proper 
use  of  the  good  things  of  this  world.  Yet,  the  dif- 
ferent points  of  view  in  which  men  of  different  casts 
haA  c  accustomed  themselves  to  consider  them,  have 
seldom  failed  to  carry  them  into  extremes.  The 
unspeakable  importance  of  the  things  of  Eternity, 
when  compared  with  those  of  a  temporal  nature, 
have  sometimes  led  men  of  sober  miuds  into  a  false 


COVETOU8NESS.  257 

estimatiou  of  the  things  of  time;  whilst,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  beauty  and  the  accommodations  of  tlie 
worhl,  have  drawn  thousands  into  a  fatal  delusion. 

The  one  class,  through  a  mistaken  notion,  seek 
future  happiness  by  the  austerity  of  penance,  retir- 
ing to  seek  God  in  the  horrors  of  penury  and  soli- 
tude ;  aud,  divesting  themselves  of  all  the  necessa- 
ry cares  of  life,  they  hold  the  world  in  absolute  con- 
tempt. They  deny  themselves  the  means  of  hap- 
piness, which  were  designed  for  their  use,  and  se- 
quester themselves  from  all  the  busy  and  engaging 
scenes  of  life,  where  the  goodness  of  God  is  most  ac- 
tive, and  his  providence  most  conspicuously  em- 
ployed. 

The  other  delusion,  the  reverse  of  this,  and  by 
far  the  more  dangerous  and  fatal,  is  of  those  who 
put  too  liigh  a  value  on  temporal  objects,  and  con- 
sider those  things  as  their  enjoyment  which  are  cal- 
culated only  for  their  use.  Being  drawn  aside  by 
the  allurements  of  pleasure,  or  the  thirst  of  gain, 
they  sacrifice  their  intellectual  and  moral  happiness, 
to  temporal  acquisitions ;  and,  like  the  rich  man  in 
the  Gospel,  choose  their  portion  out  of  the  good 
things  of  this  world. 

Thus,  whilst  men  of  honest  intention,  but  mista- 
ken in  their  sense  of  duty,  retire  into  solitary  caves, 
or  hide  themselves  in  secluded  cloisters,  the  votaries 
of  pleasure  and  the  pursuers  of  gain,  would  divide 
the  empire  of  the  world  between  them.  But,  as 
man  is  evidently  designed  for  different  stages,  he  is 
called  to  act  his  part  on  both ;  to  attend  to  the  con- 
cerns of  this  world,  and  of  the  world  to  come,  and 
that  with  au  ardour  proportionate  to  the  importance 

38 


258  COVETOUSNESS. 

of  their  different  objects,  and  with  a  wise  reference 
from  the  one  to  the  other.  Thus,  whilst  some  ac- 
count it  criminal  to  pay  any  attention  to  the  things 
of  time,  and  others  over-rate  them,  the  path  of  duty 
runs  between  the  two  extremes.  To  improve  the 
present  as  conducive  to  the  future ;  to  use  this  world 
in  subservience  to  our  final  interest ;  or,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  Scripture,  so  to  use  it  as  not  to  abuse  it, 
is  the  business  and  duty  of  men  on  earth. 

The  one  is  to  be  considered  in  conjunction  with, 
or  rather  in  reference  to  the  other.  But,  dangerous 
is  the  mistake,  and  fatal  the  delusion,  when  we  direct 
our  aim  and  confine  our  views  to  present  objects,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  more  important  concerns  of  a 
future  state.  For,  the  things  of  this  world,  though 
requiring  attention  in  a  subordinate  degree,  bear  but 
little  proportion  to  those  of  the  world  which  is  to 
come.  The  former  are  temporal,  the  latter  are  eter- 
nal ;  the  one  gross  and  sensual,  the  other  spiritual 
and  refined. 

Were  the  interests  of  both  equally  in  our  view, 
there  could  not  possibly  be  any  competition  between 
them,  for  the  preference  in  our  choice.  But,  it  un- 
fortunately happens,  that  men  suffer  themselves  to 
be  led  by  present  inclination,  rather  than  by  reason. 
Hence,  the  things  of  time  will  ever  have  the  advan- 
tage with  inconsiderate  men,  over  the  things  of  Eter- 
nity, because  the  former  are  present,  and  the  latter 
future,  the  one  at  hand,  the  other  at  a  distance  ;  the 
one  seen,  the  other  invisible;  the  things  of  Time,  the 
objects  of  sense,  those  of  Eternity,  the  objects  of 
faith.  Hence  it  is,  that  the  necessity  of  faith  is  so 
often  and  strongly  inculcated  in  Scripture  ;  for,  it  is 
a  lively  faith  alone,  that  can  overcome  the  world. 


COVETOUSNESS.  259 

There  is  nothing  more  inconsistent  with  our  duty 
to  God,  and  more  unfavourable  to  our  present,  as 
well  as  future  happiness,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
more  powerful  temptation  to  the  generality  of  men, 
than  the  love  of  this  world.  The  acquisition  of 
worldly  advantages,  is  the  fatal  lure  which  the  great 
enemy  of  souls  holds  out  to  men,  and  with  which 
the  thoughtless  and  narrow-minded,  are  generally 
taken.  However,  for  want  of  inclination,  or  through 
fear  of  punishment,  they  may  be  able  to  withstand 
other  temptations  which  he  may  endeavour  to  prac- 
tise upon  them ;  he  no  sooner  exhibits  to  their  view 
the  kingdoms  of  the  world,  than  all  their  virtue  fails, 
and  they  fall  down  in  worship. 

It  is  no  doubt  on  account  of  the  baneful  influence 
of  temporal  objects,  upon  the  miud,  that  we  are  so 
often  cautioned  against  Covetousness  in  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. And,  indeed,  when  we  say  of  other  evils, 
that  they  have  slaiu  their  thousands,  we  may  say  of 
this,  that  it  has  slain  its  ten  thousands.  In  this, 
as  in  other  things  which  are  not  directly  criminal, 
the  fault  lies  in  the  excess. 

When  the  Almighty  had  created  all  things,  he 
looked  upon  the  works  of  his  hands  and  pronounced 
them  very  good.  To  use  them  as  such,  therefore, 
is  reasonable  and  right.  But,  to  worship  the  crea- 
ture, instead  of  the  Creator;  to  adhere  to  the  former 
and  forsake  the  latter ;  or,  to  be  so  much  attached 
to  the  things  of  the  world,  as  to  divert  our  attention 
from  the  worship  of  God,  and  the  enjoined  duties  of 
religion,  is,  indeed,  a  very  criminal  prostitution  of 
love,  and  nothing  short  of  idolatry  itself.  Accor- 
dingly, the  Apostle  Paul,  in  warning  the  Colossians 


260  COVETOUSNESS. 

against  adultery,  uncleanness,  and  evil  concupis- 
cence, adds  to  the  list,  Covetousness,  which,  says 
he,  is  idolatry. 

As  this  vice  is  so  often  reproved  in  Scripture,  and 
such  frequent  examples  given  us  of  the  insufficiency 
of  outward  circumstances  to  administer  peace  and 
happiness,  and  withal,  as  it  is  a  vice  so  generally 
prevalent  in  the  world,  it  will  be  worth  our  while 
to  attend  a  little  particularly  to  it.  1  shall,  there- 
fore, endeavour,  in  the  further  prosecution  of  the 
subject,  in  the  first  place,  to  consider,  in  a  few  words, 
the  nature  of  Covetousness:  and,  in  the  second 
place,  to  enforce  the  exhortation  of  our  Saviour,  to 
beware  of  the  evil. 

To  define  Covetousness  under  one  comprehensive 
term,  we  may  do  it,  perhaps,  with  sufficient  preci- 
sion, when  we  call  it  an  undue,  or  inordinate  desire 
of  wealth,  or  any  worldly  object.  It  is  common, 
indeed,  to  confine  it  to  an  avaricious  desire  of  that 
which  belongs  to  another.  But,  though  it  cannot 
be  denied  that  this  is  Covetousness,  indeed,  yet  it 
is  certainly  too  much  restricted.  It  is  plain,  that 
our  Saviour  did  not  consider  it  in  this  contracted 
view.  For,  wiien  he  was  applied  to  by  a  certain 
man  to  speak  to  his  brother,  that  he  should  divide 
the  inheritance  with  him,  he  did  not  reprove  him 
for  desiring  what  was  not,  by  right,  his  own  ;  which 
it  is  probable  he  would  have  done,  had  it  been  the 
case.  But,  informing  them  that  his  business  was  of 
a  dificrent  kind,  he  declined  all  interference  in  their 
common  dealings,  one  with  another.  And,  observ- 
ing, perhaps,  too  great  anxiety  about  the  iuheritance, 
he  took  occasion  from  this  incident,  to  caution  them 


COVETOUSNESS.  261 

both,  against  too  great  a  concern  about  the  things 
of  the  worhl,  and  direct  their  principal  attention  to 
the  securing  of  their  future  interests.  '^  Take  heed," 
says  he,  "  and  beware  of  Covetousness,  or  too  great 
an  attachment  to  a  worldly  inheritance;  for,  a  man's 
life  doth  not  consist  in  the  abundance  of  the  things 
which  he  possesseth."  Neither  does  Covetouuess 
itself  consist  in  the  abundance  of  our  possessions, 
but  in  our  sordid  views  before  we  have  obtained 
them,  in  making  them  the  object  of  our  unwearied 
and  main  pursuit,  and  in  the  value  we  set  on  them, 
and  our  excessive  attachment  to  them  after  the  ac- 
quisition. The  disorder  lies  in  the  mind,  and  not 
in  the  possession. 

Nature  wants  few  things ;  but  office,  and  the  dif- 
ferent relations  which  we  may  sustain  in  life,  may 
require  many.  It  is  our  duty,  then,  to  bound  our 
desires  by  our  necessities,  and  to  use  the  bounties  of 
God's  providence  as  things  designed  for  our  use,  and 
not  our  principal  enjoyment.  To  do  otherwise,  is 
to  mistake  the  means  of  happiness  for  the  end,  and 
to  love  the  creature  more  than  the  Creator,  who  is 
God  over  all,  blessed  forever.  An  excessive  and 
restless  desire  after  more  than  is  necessary  is  Covet- 
ousness,  and  a  mistaken  estimation  of  worldly  ac- 
quisitions as  our  chief  good,  which  is  the  case  with 
every  avaricious  man,  is  idolatry.  What  ought  to 
suffice  the  peasant,  would  be  insufficient  for  the  king. 
For  the  king,  then,  to  desire  more  than  the  pea- 
sant is  not  a  mark  of  avarice:  but  discontentment 
with  a  competent  portion,  and  an  unceasing  quest 
of  gain,  argue  a  sordid  love  of  money,  and  is  Covct- 
ousnessin  both.     In  one  word,  Covetousness  is  jyi 


262  COVETOUSNESS. 

attachment  to  the  things  of  this  world,  as  such,  or 
for  their  own  sake;  and  differs  in  degree,  according 
as  that  attachment  is  stronger  or  weaker. 

I  proceed  now,  in  the  second  head,  which  I  pro- 
posed, to  enforce  the  exhortation  of  our  Saviour, 
^'Take  heed  and  beware  of  Covetousness."  And 
we  should  guard  our  hearts  against  the  admission  of 
this  destructive  vice ;  because,  in  the  first  place,  it  is 
idolatry.  Secondly,  because  it  bars  the  door  against 
the  exercise  of  charity,  so  often  inculcated  in  Scrip- 
ture, as  the  mark  of  a  Christian  temper.  Thirdly, 
because  it  debases  the  mind,  and  renders  it  incapa- 
ble of  intellectual  improvement.  Fourthly,  because 
it  is  a  growing  evil.  Fifthly,  because  it  is  an  un- 
grateful use,  or  abuse,  rather,  of  the  mercies  of  God. 
Sixthly,  because  it  is  an  inlet  to  every  other  vice. 
And,  lastly,  because  a  man's  life  doth  not  consist  in 
the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth. 
This  last  it  will  be  sufficient  at  present  to  consider. 

When  we  say,  that  a  man's  life  doth  not  consist 
in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he  possesseth, 
we  mean  that  such  abundance  is  neither  necessary 
to  the  true  enjoyment  of  our  earthly  possessions ; 
nor  affords  the  least  security  for  the  continuance  of 
life  itself.  To  this  it  may  be  added,  that  its  ten- 
dency is  greatly  to  obstruct  the  attainment  of  life 
everlasting. 

It  requires  the  assistance  of  Divine  Grace  to  ena- 
ble us,  while  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  our 
worldly  employments,  to  be  contented  with  the  por- 
tion of  goods  that  falleth  to  us.  But,  Covetousness, 
like  the  grave  which  ere  long  will  swallow  us  all, 
has  never  yet  been  heard  to  say  "  It  is  enough." 


COVETOUSNESS.  263 

The  amount  of  pecuniary  acquisitions  which  can 
render  men  perfectly  contented  with  their  portion, 
has  never  as  yet  been  ascertained.  This  depends 
on  the  state  of  our  minds.  Where  this  is  not  settled, 
an  increase  of  fortune  will  not  be  found  suflBcient  to 
compose  it.  Experience,  if  I  mistake  not,  has 
evinced,  that  this  does  little  else  than  to  whet  more 
keenly  the  desire  of  further  acquisitions.  The  pos- 
session of  one  field  renders  another  but  the  more  de- 
sirable ;  or,  as  we  suppose,  more  necessary  to  us. 
Our  desire  of  gain,  then,  like  the  thirst  of  dropsy, 
only  increases,  it  would  seem  by  being  gratified. 
This  state  of  mind,  is  not  only  ever  restless,  but  it 
frequently  mars  the  enjoyment  of  what  we  already 
possess,  and  endangers  our  life  itself,  in  the  eager 
pursuit  of  more. 


264  THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

^^  Wliat  think  ye  of  Christ,^' 

Matthew,  22d  chap.  42d  verse. 

When  it  is  considered,  that  a  man's  friends  are 
more  or  less  numerous,  and  more  or  less  zealous, 
according  to  the  estimation  in  which  they  hold  him, 
this  will  appear  an  enquiry  of  no  little  importance. 
In  this  case,  indeed,  it  cannot  but  be  considered  as 
entitled  to  the  most  serious  consideration :  as  not  so 
much  his  honour  as  our  own  interest  is  concerned  in 
the  question,  and  will  be  decided  by  the  answer. 
As  far  as  it  respects  him,  it  is  of  very  little  moment, 
what  may  be  the  sentiment  of  a  mis-judging  world. 
Once,  indeed,  at  the  time  when  this  question  was 
proposed,  he  was  found  "  in  fashion  as  a  man,"  and 
the  weakness  of  humanity  to  which  he  humbled 
himself,  exposed  him  to  insult  which  he  received, 
and  to  pain  which  he  endured,  at  the  hands  of  men. 
Then,  too,  the  kind  offices  of  his  friends  were  wel- 
come :  his  necessities  frequently  required  them,  and 
they  will  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance.  But, 
now  that  he  has  ascended  on  high,  and  resumed  the 
glories  which  he  had  with  the  Father,  before  the 
world  was,  he  is  far  above  the  scoffs  of  sinners,  or 
the  praises  of  the  Saints.  These,  indeed,  he  hum- 
bles himself  to  receive;  whilst  the  vices  and  the 
scorn  of  wicked  men,  can  only,  for  the  present, 
excite  his  pity.  For  the  present,  I  say,  for  he  is 
still  the  same  compassionate  Saviour  he  ever  was, 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST.  265 

not  willing  that  any  should  perish,  but  that  all  might 
repent  and  be  saved. 

Considering  him,  then,  as  the  Saviour  of  the 
world,  the  opinion  we  entertain  of  him  is,  to  us,  all- 
important  ;  for,  to  as  many  as  receive  him,  he  giveth 
power  to  hprnmp.  the  sons  of  God ;  but  those  who 
reject  him,  must  perish  in  their  sins.  ^'  Ye  will  not 
come  to  me,"  says  he,  "  tliat  ye  may  have  life." 
"What  think  ye"  then  of  Christ? 

That  we  may  come  to  a  decision  on  this  subject, 
and  be  prepared  to  give  an  answer  to  the  question, 
I  must  beg  the  favour  of  you  to  accompany  me  in. 
surveying  a  little,  the  most  prominent  traits  in  the 
Saviour's  character,  and  the  most  remarkable  inci- 
dents of  his  life.   When  he  entered  on  the  duties  of  his 
office,  he  informed  us,  that  the  end  of  his  coming  into 
the  world,  was  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost : 
and  that  for  this  purpose  he  had  come  to  the  "  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."     On  this  account  he 
was  called  Jesus,  which  signifies  a  Saviour.     By 
the  direction  of  God,  this  name  was  given  him,  be- 
fore he  was  born  ;  ^'  And  thou  shalt  call  his  name 
Jesus ;  for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins." 
He  is  also  called  Christ,  which  signifies  anointed, 
on  account  of  his  being  especially  appointed  of  God ; 
and  qualified  for  the  work  of  redemption.     This 
name  is  given,  probably,  in  allusion  to  the  custom 
which  obtained  with  respect  to  the  Kings  of  Israel, 
who,  upon  their  accession  or  appointment  to  the 
Throne,  was  anointed  with  oil.     As  the  Saviour  of 
ainners,  he  is  called  Jesus ;  and  his  super-eminent 
qualifications  for  this  important  office,  have  given 
him  the  title  of  "  the  Lord's  anointed." 

34 


266         THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

This  being  the  character  in  which  he  was  intro- 
duced to  the  world,  you  would  naturally  expect  to 
hear,  tliat  the  circumstances  of  his  appearance  were 
such,  as  you  would  judge  to  correspond  with  these 
great  preparations,  and  the  importance  and  dignity 
of  the  oifice  which  lie  w^as  appointpd  to  sustain. 
Human  wisdom,  indeed,  would  have  lavished  upon 
him  all  the  pomp  and  splendor  of  its  own  greatness  : 
but,  this,  hov^ever,  is  not  the  only  instance  in  which 
the  wisdom  of  this  world  has  been  accounted  "  fool- 
ishness with  God." 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  present  a  detail,  or 
make  an  application  of  the  prophecies  which  are  con- 
tained in  the  Scriptures,  concerning  Christ,  to  ena- 
ble you  to  anticipate  the  state  in  which  he  was  first  of 
all  to  be  found.  Suffice  it  to  observe,  at  once,  that 
we  find  the  fulfilment  of  them  in  the  babe  of  Beth- 
lehem. 

It  may,  perhaps,  oJBend  the  pride  of  philosophy, 
and  confound  the  more  sober  rea^on  of  man,  but  it 
is  not  to  be  concealed,  that  he  who  was  by  Divine 
appointment  to  be  the  glory  of  his  people  of  Israel, 
"Was  of  obscure  parentage,  and  as  far  as  external  cir- 
cumstances could  make  it  so,  of  very  humble  birth; 
for,  he  was  born  in  a  stable  :  yet,  in  a  helpless  infant 
you  behold  the  fore-runner  of  the  future  Saviour. 

Sacred  history  has  been  very  particular  and  ex- 
plicit in  recording  this  circumstance;  for,  when  it 
was  announced  by  an  Angel  of  the  Lord,  to  the 
Shepherds  of  Judea,  that  a  Saviour  was  born  unto 
them,  it  was  given  as  a  sign  by  which  they  might 
know  him,  that  he  was  laid  in  a  manger  :  "  Ye  shall 
find  the  babe,  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes^  ly- 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST.  267 

ing  ia  a  manger.''  And,  "  suddenly/'  the  historian 
adds,  "  there  was  with  the  Angel,  a  multitude  of 
the  Heavenly  Host,  praising  God,  and  saying, 
Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good  will  to  men."  The  Shepherds,  too,  when 
they  had  seen  the  bahe,  ''  returned,  glorifying  and 
praising  God  :"  and,  good  old  Simeon,  who  was 
*'  waiting  for  the  consolation  of  Israel,"  when  he 
saw  the  child  soon  afterwards  in  the  temple,  "  took 
him  up  in  his  arms,  and  blessed  God,  and  said, 
Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace, 
fi«(»ording  to  thy  word,  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy 
salvation."  Being  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  he 
then  uttered  some  phophecies  concerning  the  child, 
which  have  since  been  exactly  fulfilled,  but  which 
it  does  not  belong  to  the  subject  at  present  to  repeat. 
You  may  find  them,  however,  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  second  chapter  of  Luke.  The  humble  birth  and 
low  estate  of  Christ,  have  been  made,  by  some,  a 
pretext  for  rejecting,  if  not  despising  him,  in  every 
age  of  the  world.  But,  as  little  as  we  can  depend 
on  the  deductions  of  our  reason,  we  may  yet  dis- 
cern in  these  arrangements,  the  marks  of  superior 
wisdom,  and  justly  draw  from  them,  conclusions  of 
Divine  appointment,  if  we  will  but  lay  aside,  for  a 
moment,  our  prejudice  against  poverty  and  the  pride 
of  comparison.  We,  to  be  sure,  would  never  have 
devised  such  a  Saviour  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;  but, 
would  have  had  him  that  was  Divine,  on  all  occa- 
sions to  display  the  God.  But,  yet  our  rational 
faculties  may  teach  us  to  approve  what  we  could 
not  originally  have  discovered.  It  is  not  invention, 
but  the  power  of  examining  thoroughly,  of  choosing 


268  THE  CHAKACTEK  OF  CHRIST. 

deliberately,  and  of  deriding  justly,  that  is  the  pre- 
rogative of  reason.  The  approbation  of  this,  after 
such  a  process,  must  be,  to  us,  at  least,  an  argument 
of  truth. 

Bearing  in  mind,  then,  that  we  are  considering 
Christ  Jesus  in  the  character  of  a  Saviour,  we  may 
surely  discover  the  reason  of  his  assuming  the  "•  body 
which  Grod  prepared."  If  it  be  accounted  reasona- 
ble, that  the  same  nature  which  had  violated  God's 
law,  should  j^ield  obedience,  and  that  the  same 
should  suffer  the  penalty  which  had  contracted  the 
guilt,  then,  as  St.  Luke  and  the  other  Evangelists 
express  it,  it  "  behoved  Christ  to  suffer ;"  and,  in 
order  to  be  prepared  for  this,  that  he  should  be 
found  in  fashion  as  a  man.  If  any  one,  then,  be 
offended  at  this,  he  must  surely  have  forgotten  that 
Christ  was  substituted  in  the  room  of  sinners. 

But,  wherefore  was  he  made  an  infant?  Why  was 
he  laid  in  a  manger?  Would  it  not  have  answered 
these  purposes  effectually,  if  he  had  put  on  the  fash- 
ion of  a  man  in  all  his  vigor,  and  been  created  like 
Adam,  in  full  perfection?  No;  considering  who 
he  was  in  reality,  he  ennobled  poverty  by  the  indi- 
gence of  his  very  birth,  and  rendered  humility  con- 
spicuous by  being  wrapped  in  *'  swaddling  clothes." 

Besides,  as  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  take 
upon  him  human  nature,  it  was  reasonable,  it  was 
right,  it  was  wise,  it  was  merciful,  that  he  should 
visit  it  in  all  its  stages,  and  experience  all  its  infir- 
mities and  vicissitudes,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave : 
That  he  should  experience  the  helplessness  of  infan- 
cy together  with  its  innocence  ;  the  bloom  of  youth, 
together  with  its  temptations  ;  and  the  strength,  to- 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST,  269 

gether  with  the  cares  of  manhood.  Who  sees  not 
that  by  these  things  he  was  the  better  qualified  for 
the  office  of  a  Saviour?  In  this  school  is  he  in- 
structed to  succour  them  that  are  tempted,  for  he  had 
felt  the  same :  to  pity  and  relieve  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  affliction,  as  he  had  experienced  sor- 
row ;  and  to  carry  the  lambs  in  his  bosom,  having 
been  himself  a  child.  This  is  always  considered 
as  a  ?;reat  encouragement  to  approach  the  Throne  of 
Grace,  now  that  Christ  is  seated  on  high,  and  make 
known  our  wants  "  by  prayer  and  supplication." 
To  this  purpose  speaks  the  Apostle  to  the  Hebrews. 
*'  Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  great  high  priest  that 
is  passed  into  the  Heavens,  Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 
let  us  hold  fast  our  profession.  For  we  have  not 
an  high  Priest,  which  cannot  be  touched  with  a  fel- 
low-feeling of  our  infirmities :  but  was  in  all  points 
tempted-like  as  we  are.  Let  us  therefore  come  boldly 
unto  the  Throne  of  Grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mer- 
cy, and  find  Grace  to  help  in  every  time  of  need." 
For  this  purpose  it  was  the  part  of  infinite  wisdom 
to  ordain,  that  *'  the  Captain  of  Salvation  should  be 
made  perfect  through  sufferings."  This  was  indeed 
the  lot  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  He  came  into 
the  world  in  poverty,  and  he  left  it  in  pain.  A  man- 
ger was  his  cradle,  and  his  dying  bed  a  cross. 

Before  I  dismiss  this  part  of  his  character  and 
history,  I  must  invite  your  attention,  to  a  very  re- 
markable incident  of  his  infant  state  and  the  inter- 
position of  Divine  Providence  for  his  preservation.  It 
had  long  been  prophesied,  that  "  Out  of  Bethlehem 
of  Judea,"  should  come  a  governor  that  should  rule 
the  people  of  Israel.     When^  therefore,  there  came 


270         THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

wise  men  from  the  East  to  Jerusalem,  saying, 
'*  Where  is  he  that  is  born  King  of  the  Jews  ?  for 
we  have  seen  his  star  in  the  east,  and  are  come  to 
worship  him,"  "  Herod  the  King  was  exceedingly 
troubled."  Mistaking  the  nature  of  the  Saviour's 
authority,  he  became  apprehensive  for  his  throne 
and  jealous  of  the  child.  After  making  some  fruit- 
less attempts  to  discover  him,  he  at  length  issued 
the  bloody  decree,  that  "  all  the  children  that  w-erc 
in  Bethlehem,  and  in  all  the  coasts  thereof  of  two 
years  old  and  under,  should  be  put  to  death."  He 
sent  off  his  officers  in  his  vvrath,  and  had  it  executed. 
Then  was  lamentation,  and  weeping,  and  great 
mourning,  indeed.  Then  many  a  Rachel  was  heard 
weeping  for  her  children,  and  refusing  to  be  com- 
forted. But  Joseph,  warned  of  God  in  a  dream, 
of  the  approaching  danger,  had  taken  the  child  and 
his  mother  by  niglit,  and  fled  into  Egypt,  before  the 
executioners  arrived.  Thus  Divine  Providence 
watched  over  him ;  and  indeed,  who  could  have 
seen  the  executioners  on  their  way  to  Bethlehem, 
and  Joseph  in  his  flight  to  Egypt,  and  not  have 
wished  the  child  God  speed  ? 

Upon  the  death  of  Herod,  an  Angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  in  a  dream  to  Joseph  in  Egypt,  advising 
him  to  take  the  young  child  and  his  mother,  and  go 
again  into  the  land  of  Israel.  On  this,  I  have  only 
to  observe  here,  that  it  was  the  accomplishment  of 
an  Ancient  Prophecy  ;  ^'  Out  of  Egypt  have  I  called 
my  Son." 

In  the  succeeding  period  of  his  life,  we  discover 
such  unusual  marks  of  wisdom  and  of  Grace,  as  are 
truly  surprising,  and  as  may  instruct  us  what  we 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST.  271 

ought  to  think  of  Christ.  *^  The  child  grew,"  says 
the  sacred  historian,  *'  and  waxed  strong  in  spirit 
filled  with  wisdom ;  and  the  Grace  of  God  was 
upon  him."  **  At  twelve  years  old,"  he  was  found 
**in  the  temple,  sitting  in  the  midst  of  the  doctors, 
both  hearing  them,  and  asking  them  questions." 
These  questions  were  not  the  effect  of  childish  cu- 
riosity, nor  was  there  discovered  in  his  answers, 
any  mark  of  childish  weakness.  Wisdom,  more 
than  human,  issued  from  his  mouth,  insomuch  that 
''all  that  heard  him,"  says  the  historian,  "  were  asto- 
nished at  his  understanding  and  his  answers." 

From  this  time  until  about  the  age  of  thirty  years, 
be  lived  in  obscurity  with  his  mother  and  reputed 
father,  working  with  him,  as  commentators  suppose, 
at  his  trade,  which,  it  seems,  was  that  of  a  carpenter. 
At  this  time,  after  a  lapse  of  eighteen  years,  he  pub- 
licly made  known  his  commission  from  on  high,  pro- 
claiming himself  the  promised  Messiah,  "  sent  of 
God,"  to  instruct  a  benighted,  and  to  restore  a  ru- 
ined world.  "  And  Jesus  returned,"  says  the  sa- 
cred historian,  "  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit  into 
Galilee :  and  there  went  out  of  him  a  fame  through  all 
the  region  round  about.  And  he  taught  in  their 
Synagogues,  being  glorified  of  all.  And  he  came 
to  Nazareth  where  he  had  been  brought  up  :  and 
as  his  custom  was,  he  went  into  the  Synagogue  on 
the  Sabbath-day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read.  And 
there  was  delivered  unto  him  the  book  of  the  Pro- 
phet Esaias ;  and  wlien  he  had  opened  the  book, 
he  found  the  place  where  it  was  written,  ^'The  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed 
lae  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor :  he  hath  sent 


272  THE  CHARACTER  OF  CHRIST. 

me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  deliverance 
to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind; 
to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach  the 
acceptable  year  of  the  Lord."  He  then  closed 
the  book,  returned  it  to  the  Minister  and  sat  down. 
And  whilst  the  eyes  of  all  that  were  in  the  Syna- 
gogue were  fastened  on  him,  he  said  to  them,  "This 
day  is  this  Scripture  fulfilled  in  your  ears  " 

This  Scripture  to  which  Jesus  Christ  refers,  you 
may  find  in  the  42d  of  Isaiah,  7th  verse,  and  more 
particularly,  in  the  61st  of  the  same  Prophet,  of 
which  the  words  which  I  have  read,  are  almost  a 
literal  quotation.  He  then  went  from  place  to  place 
and  from  city  to  city,  preaching  the  Gospel  of  the 
Kingdom.  He  went  about  continually  doing  good, 
administering  consolation  to  the  afl[licted  in  spirit, 
wiping  away  the  tears  from  mourners  in  Zion,  in- 
structing the  ignorant  in  the  way  of  everlasting  life, 
sympathizing  with,  and  cheering  the  sad  and  discon- 
solate. In  confirmation  of  his  authority,  and  to  en- 
courage poor  sinners  to  put  their  trust  in  him,  and 
to  convince  them  that  God  had  sent  him,  he  accom- 
panied his  kind  offices  by  miraculous  displays  of 
power  and  of  Grace.  Saint  Matthew  informs  us 
that  on  a  certain  occasion,  when  Jesus  had  gone  up 
on  a  mountain  near  the  sea  of  Galilee,  "  Great  mul- 
titudes came  unto  him,  having  with  them  those  that 
were  lame,  blind,  dumb,  maimed,  and  many  others, 
and  cast  them  down  at  Jesus'  feet,  and  he  healed 
them :  insomuch  that  the  multitude  wondered,  when 
they  saw  the  dumb  to  speak,  the  maimed  to  be 
whole,  the  lame  to  walk,  and  the  blind  to  see :  and 
they  glorified  the  God  of  Israel."  Tlie  opposition  of 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  PROVIDENCE.  273 

the  Jewish  Sanhedrim,  and  of  the  Roman  Senate 
had  not  as  yet  been  excited  against  him.  His 
countrymen,  however,  I  mean  more  particularly  the 
rulers,  when  they  became  acquainted  with  the  object 
of  the  Messiah's  mission,  and  the  nature  of  his  King- 
dom— that  he  came,  not  to  deliver  them  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  Romans,  who  had  subdued  them,  but 
to  save  them  from  their  sins — to  restore  them  to  the 
favour  of  God — to  overthrow  the  Kingdom  of  Sa- 
tan, and  despoil  the  powers  of  darkness,  immedi- 
ately organized  the  opposition  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
who,  by  artful  insinuations,  excited  against  him  the 
jealousy  of  the  Romans,  by  whom,  he  was  at  last 
crucified. 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE. 

'^  How  unsearchable  are  Ms  judgments,  and  his  ways 
past  finding  out,'^ 

Romans,  11th  chap.  33tl  verse. 

The  most  that  we  can  know  of  God  in  this  state 
of  darkness  and  imperfection  is,  that  his  nature  is  in- 
comprehensible to  the  human  mind,  and  his  judg- 
ments unsearchable.  He  is  perfectly  to  be  known 
and  comprehended  by  himself  alone.  "  Canst  thou 
by  searching  find  out  God  ?"  says  Job.     '^  Canst 

35 


274  THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE. 

thou  find  out  the.  Almi2;lity  unto  perfection?  It  is 
as  high  as  Heaven;  what  canst  thou  do ?  Deeper 
than  Hell,  what  canst  thou  know  ?  The  measure 
thereof  is  longer  than  the  eartli,  and  broader  than 
the  sea." 

To  his  judgments,  however,  it  is  the  duty  of  all 
men  to  attend,  and  endeavour,  as  far  as  possible, 
to  learn  instruction  from  them.  Our  sources  of  in- 
formation respecting  them,  are  in  general  the  com- 
munications of  God's  word,  and  the  dispensations 
of  his  Providence.  It  was  the  Revelation  of  the 
hidden  mystery,  as  the  Apostle  calls  it,  to  wit:  The 
purpose  of  (lod,  in  calling  the  Gentiles  to  be  parta- 
kers with  the  .Tews,  of  his  Salvation  ;  his  including 
them  all  in  unbelief,  that  lie  might  have  mercy  up- 
on all,  which  extorted  from  him,  tfie  rapturous  excla- 
mation in  the  text.  And,  when  we  reflect  on  the 
ways  of  God  towards  men,  and  view  the  dispensa- 
tions of  his  common  Providence,  we  cannot  but  be 
filled  with  wonder  and  astonishment,  and  will  find 
sufficient  reason  for  adopting  the  words  of  the  text. 
^'  How  unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his 
ways  past  finding  out."  These  were  probal)ly  with- 
in the  general  view  of  the  Apostle,  and  in  this  view 
I  beg  leave  to  direct  your  attention  to  them  on  the 
present  occasion.  "The  works  of  the  Lord  are 
wonderful,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  and  they  are  sought 
out  of  all  them  that  take  pleasure  therein."  Yet. 
when  we  turn  our  thoughts  to  this  subject,  we  shall 
often  find  ourselves  involved  in  inextricable  difficul- 
ties, and  be  obliged  to  adopt  the  language  of  the 
same  inspired  writer;  *< Thy  judgments  are  a  great 
deep :  Tiiy  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  thy  path  in  the 
great  waterS;  and  thy  foot-steps  are  not  known.'" 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE.       275 

Though  God  is  surrounded  with  light,  as  with  a 
garment,  yet  we  cannot  comprehend  it ;  but  to  our 
weak  apprehension,  clouds  and  darkness  appear  to 
be  round  about  him.  He  giveth  account  of  his  works 
to  none  of  his  creatures,  but  maketh  the  darkness 
his  pavilion.  His  judgments  are  unsearchable,  and 
his  ways  past  finding  out. 

The  use  which  I  would  wish  to  make  of  these 
words,  is,  in  the  first  place,  to  give  some  general  and 
particular  instances  of  the  wonderful  ways  of  God, 
in  the  dispensations  of  his  Providence  :  And,  se- 
condly, To  adduce  such  reasons  as  may  tend  to  vin- 
dicate these  judgments,  and  point  out  the  duty  of 
man,  to  be  resigned,  and  to  adore. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  if  we  consider  the  general 
Providence  of  God,  as  superintending  the  affairs  of 
the  world,  or  his  special  Providence,  as  exercised 
over  individuals ;   they  will  both  appear  to  us  mys- 
terious and  unsearchable.     The  rise  and  fall  of  na- 
tions are  frequently  produced  by  the  most  unexpected, 
and,  even  unpromising  events ;  and,  are  to  be  re- 
solved only  into  the  good  pleasure  of  him  who  rais- 
eth  up,  and  pulleth  down  as  he  pleases.     By  avarice 
and  oppression  they  become  great  and  powerful,  and 
their  very   prosperity   becomes  their  down-fall. — 
They  flourisli  and  make  a  noise  in  the  world,  then 
suddenly  dwindle  away,  and  are  no  more  heard  of 
Some  seem  to  have  been  raised  to  the  very  pinnacle 
of  Glory,  as  if  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  declare 
the  power  of  God  in  their  ruins.     We  read  in  his- 
tory, both  sacred  and  profane,  of  nations  who  bid 
defiance  to  the  God  of  Heaven,  and  were  yet  per- 
mitted to  prevail  against  his  chosen  people,  who 


276  THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE. 

trusted  in  bis  name,  and  to  carry  tliem  captive  into 
a  strange  laud.  Wlien  we  come  down  to  more  mo- 
dern times,  we  observe  events  taking  place,  which 
fall  entirely  without  the  calculations  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced politicians.  The  best  concerted  plans 
are  frustrated ;  the  wisest  councils  are  turned  head- 
long ;  whilst  on  the  other  hand,  the  weakest  efforts 
are  crowned  with  success.  God  exercises  his  won- 
derful Providence,  in  promoting  the  low,  and  bring- 
ing down  the  mighty,  and  in  verifying  the  wise  man's 
maxim,  that  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  bat- 
tle to  the  strong.  It  will  occur  to  every  hearer,  that 
the  land  in  which  we  live,  aftbrds  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, an  example  of  all  this.  The  ways  of  God, 
are,  in  this  respect,  past  finding  out.  When  a  pow- 
erful nation,  and  well  skilled  in  war,  rose  up  against 
us,  and  threatened,  in  the  Spirit  of  Pharaoh,  "  1 
w  ill  pursue,  I  will  overtake,  I  will  divide  the  spoil,'' 
they  were  arrested  in  their  career,  and  finally  given 
into  our  hands.  The  Providence  of  God  interposed 
for  us,  covered  the  heads  of  our  soldiers  in  tlie  day 
of  battle,  and  crowned  their  arms  with  success.  As 
then,  so  also  now,  his  judgments  are  mysterious. 

Again,  when  we  consider  the  lot  of  individuals, 
it  seems  to  be  shut  up  in  impenetrable  darkness.  Al- 
ternate hopes  and  fears,  encourage  and  depress  them. 
The  Divine  Providence  watches  over  every  man, 
yet  he  appears  to  walk  in  a  vain  show.  The  very 
hairs  of  his  head  are  all  numbered,  yet  he  is  in- 
volved in  perplexities  and  doubts,  and  seems  to  be 
given  up  to  blind  chance  or  accident,  and  often 
knows  not,  on  which  hand  to  turn.  He  is  thwart- 
ed in  his  desires,  his  best  devised  schemes  are  frus- 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE.  277 

trated,  and  Jie  is  disappointed  in  his  most  sanguine 
hopes.  If  he  obtain  the  object  of  his  wishes,  it  is 
soon  removed  from  him,  or  the  possession  of  it  proves 
injurious  or  uneasy  to  him,  from  which  he  expected 
the  greatest  happiness.  How  often  do  we  hear  the 
tender  parent  mourning  the  loss  of  his  most  promis- 
ing child  ?  And,  how  often  do  we  see  the  helpless 
infant  left  destitute  by  tlie  removal  of  its  parents  ? 

When  we  peruse  the  sacred  writings,  the  Al- 
mighty appears  to  have  hidden  himself  in  thick 
darkness,  with  respect  to  his  dispensations.  The 
history  of  Jacob  and  Joseph,  of  Abraham  and  Isaac, 
of  Job,  and  above  all,  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  ap- 
pears a  continued  series  of  mysteries  ;  which  at  the 
then  present  time,  were  past  finding  out. 

2dly.  The  indiscriminate  lot  which  falls  into  the 
lap  of  righteous  and  wicked  men,  has  of  old  been  a 
subject  of  wonder  and  perplexity.  Prosperity  and 
adversity  do  not  appear  in  any  great  measure,  to  be 
distributed  according  to  the  respective  characters  of 
men.  It  was  a  complaint  of  the  Psalmist,  that 
the  wicked  flourished  like  a  green  bay  tree,  whilst 
the  righteous  were  involved  in  calamities  ;  and  when 
he  sought  to  know  this,  he  says  it  was  too  painful 
for  him. 

We  find  the  Prophet  Jeremiah,  also  expostula- 
ting with  his  Maker  on  this  subject.  "Righteous 
art  thou,  O !  Lord,"  says  he,  "  when  I  plead  with 
thee,  yet  let  me  talk  with  thee  of  thy  judgments ; 
Wherefore  doth  the  way  of  the  wicked  prosper  ? 
Wherefore  are  all  they  happy  that  deal  very  treache- 
rously?" We  indeed  are  not  very  competent  judges 
of  any  part  of  this  matter ;  because  on  the  one  hand, 


278  THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE. 

there  may  be  in  many  instances,  much  depravity  of 
heart  concealed  under  a  fair  outside ;  and  on  the 
other  hand,  men  may  appear  to  others  much  worse 
than  they  really  are.  Yet,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to 
judge,  we  seem  to  discover  a  very  material  difler- 
ence  in  the  characters  and  worth  of  men,  and  w^hen 
we  consider  the  Providence  of  God  in  the  disposal 
of  their  aftairs,  it  seems  to  be  very  wonderful,  and 
taken  by  itself,  not  to  be  unravelled.  There  are 
those,  who  according  to  every  candid  construction, 
are  honest,  virtuous  men  ;  they  are  upright  and  con- 
scientious in  their  dealings ;  they  are  humane  in 
their  disposition,  and  sober  in  their  general  de- 
portment. Tliey  appear  also  to  fear  God,  to  pay 
respect  to  his  authority,  and  reverence  his  name. 
There  are  others  agaiu  who  are  evidently  profligate 
in  their  lives,  unjust,  insidious,  cruel  and  oppressive; 
and  who  appear  neither  to  fear  God,  nor  regard  men. 
We  observe  a  material  diiference  in  this  respect, 
yet  the  allotments  of  Divine  Providence  do  not  seem 
in  any  measure,  for  the  present,  to  be  accommo- 
dated to  that  difference.  The  former  do  not  meet 
with  that  approbation  and  support  which  might  be 
expected  ;  nor  do  the  latter  suffer  those  disappoint- 
ments and  afflictions,  which  one  would  think  should 
be  the  wages  of  their  iniquity.  Sometimes  indeed, 
the  case  is  entirely  reversed.  Tears  are  the  repast 
of  the  Godly  man,  whilst  the  ungodly  prosper  and 
abound.  The  rich  man  in  the  Gospel,  who  did  not 
fear  God,  nor  regard  man,  fared  sumptuously  every 
day,  whilst  Lazarus  lay  at  his  gate,  a  beggar,  and 
full  of  sores. 


THE  MYSTERY  OP  PROVIDENCE.  279 

"We  are  assured  that  the  Lord  doth  love  the  up- 
right, and  that  his  eyes  are  continually  over  the 
righteous  ;  and  yet,  when  we  read  the  history  of 
his  Church,  it  seems  that  he  had  reserved  for  it  tlic 
very  sorest  of  his  judgments.  His  most  pious  and 
faithful  servants  have  sometimes  appeared  to  be 
singled  out  by  his  vengeance.  He  permitted  that 
they  should  suffer  for  their  attachment  to  his  cause. 
He  suffered  their  enemies  to  prevail  against  them, 
and  to  drag  them  like  sheep  to  the  slaughter. 
These,  no  doubt,  were  the  Lord's  doings,  and  truly 
they  are  marvellous  in  our  eyes. 

On  the  other  hand,  those  who  set  themselves 
against  God,  do  often  prosper ;  and  though,  as  the 
Psalmist  says,  they  set  their  mouths  against  the  Hea- 
vens, they  have  all  that  heart  can  wish,  whilst  aflBiic- 
tion  seems  to  be  the  patrimony  of  the  righteous.  la 
this  world,  says  our  Lord  to  his  disciples,  "  ye 
shall  have  tribulation."  In  the  mean-time,  it  can- 
not but  seem  singularly  strange,  that  the  favours  of 
the  Almighty  should,  in  so  many  instances,  be  the 
only  punishment  of  vice,  and  distress  and  tribula- 
tion, the  only  recompence  of  virtue.  Lastly,  on  this 
head,  the  manner  of  God's  2;overnment  in  general, 
seems  of  all  things,  to  be  to  us  the  most  mysterious 
and  incomprehensible :  That  all  his  purposes  should 
be  accomplished  without  the  least  miscarriage,  and 
the  freedom  of  the  human  will,  be  left  entirely  unim- 
paired :  That  the  most  submissive,  and  the  most 
untoward  and  untractable  temper,  should  both  con- 
tribute to  the  fulfilment  of  his  gracious  designs,  with- 
out tlie  smallest  restraint  being  put  upon  the  inclina- 
tions of  either:  That  the  most  wise  and  holv  ends  of 


280  THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE, 

his  Providence,  should  be  answered  by  the  most 
wicked  instruments,  and  by  the  perpetration  of  the 
most  impious  deeds,  and  at  the  same  time,  that  nei- 
ther he  sliould  be  liable  to  the  imputation  of  being 
the  author  of  evil,  nor  the  agents  be  in  any  degree 
excusable,  is  truly  astonishing  :  It  passes  all  under- 
standing, and  as  the  Psalmist  expresses  it,  is  a  deep 
where  all  our  thoughts  are  drowned.  Of  this,  how- 
ever, M'e  have  a  striking  instance,  in  the  suflFerings 
and  death  of  our  blessed  Lord-  The  son  of  man 
goeth,  says  the  Scripture,  as  it  is  written  ;  but  wo 
to  that  man,  by  whom  the  son  of  man  is  betrayed. 
Such,  are  the  wonderful  workings  of  God !  How 
unsearchable  are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out ! 

2.  The  second  thing  proposed  in  the  opening  of 
this  subject ;  was  to  submit  to  your  consideration 
such  reasons,  as  may  tend  to  vindicate  these  myste- 
rious Providences  of  God,  and  teach  the  duty  of 
man,  to  be  resigned  and  adore. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  if  we  should  resolve  it  all 
into  the  good  will  and  pleasure  of  the  Almighty,  it 
should  be  to  us  a  very  sufficient  reason.  This  should 
teach  us  with  reverence  and  humility  to  adore, 
though  we  should  not  be  able  fully  to  comprehend. 
He  sits  a  Sovereign  on  his  throne,  and  is  under  no 
obligation  to  render  an  account  to  any  of  his  crea- 
tures. He  made  all  things  for  his  own  glory  :  for 
his  will  and  pleasure,  they  are  and  were  created. 
He  has  therefore  a  right  to  conduct  the  affiiirs  of 
his  government,  and  to  dispose  of  the  works  of  his 
own  hand,  in  whatever  manner  it  may  seem  good  in 
his  sight.     AVe  cannot,  therefore,  without  presump- 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  PROVIDENCE.  281 

tion,  pretend  to  pry  into  his  secret  councils,  or  say 
unto  him,  "  What  dost  thou  ?"  The  question,  with 
which  he  challenges  his  creatures  in  this  respect,  is 
altogether  unanswerable  ;  ^^  May  I  not  do  what  I 
will  with  my  own  ?" — But, 

2dly.  What,  if  God  chooses  in  this  way  to  make 
his  power  known,  and  lead  his  creatures  by  the  mys- 
teries of  his  Providence  to  the  acknowledgment  of 
his  name  ?  This  could  not  be  thought  unworthy  of 
God,  or  afford  just  ground  of  complaint,  though 
thousands  should  fall  on  the  left  hand,  and  ten  thou- 
sands on  the  right.  And  besides,  if  all  things  hap- 
pened precisely  according  to  human  calculation,  and 
in  every  instance  agreeably  to  the  stated  course  of 
nature,  men  would  be  disposed  to  supplant  religion 
altogether  by  their  vain  philosophy,  and  lose  sight 
of  the  God  of  Heaven,  who  rules  and  presides  over 
all. 


36 


282  THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

"  We  would  see  Jesus.^^ 

John,  12th  chap.  21st  verse. 

When  we  hear  the  relation  of  great  exploits,  it 
is  apt  to  fill  us  with  admiration,  and  excite  in  us  a 
strong  desire  of  seeing  the  person  to  whom  they  are 
attributed. 

The  achievements  of  our  fellow-men,  even  in  mat- 
ters of  indilference  to  us,  will  raise  our  curiosity  to 
see  them,  that  we  may  behold  with  our  eyes  the 
subject  of  that  fame,  which  has  often  filled  our 
ears.  But,  when  we  ourselves  are  nearly  concerned, 
and  the  actions  are  such  as  tend  to  our  own  peace 
and  happiness,  we  consider  ourselves  as  partakers 
of  the  glory;  and  it  inspires  us  with  the  most  pro- 
found and  generous  veneration  of  the  person  ;  and 
we  wish  for  an  opportunity,  not  barely  of  satisfy- 
ing our  ciu'iosity,  but  of  paying  our  respect  to  the 
patron  of  our  cause.  We  have  an  instance  of  this 
kind  in  the  subject  under  our  present  consideration. 
The  fame  of  Jt^sus  Christ,  the  great  author  of  our 
Salvation,  had  filled  the  world  with  astonishment, 
and  the  mouths  of  generous  men  with  loud  accla- 
mations in  his  praise.  When  it  was  known  at  Je- 
rusalem that  Jesus  was  at  Bethsaida,  where  Laza- 
rus was,  the  trophy  of  his  power,  of  whom  many 
Dear  record  that  he  had  raised  him  from  the  dead, 
antl  that  he  was  coming  to  the  city  to  keep  a  feast, 
they  welcomed  his  approach  with  loud  eulogiums, 


THE  VISION  OP  JESUS.  283 

Hosanna  in  the  highest,  blessed  be  he  that  cometh 
iu  the  name  of  the  Lord.  The  sincere  congratula- 
tions of  grateful  men  were  a  more  glorious  triumph 
to  the  Prince  of  Peace,  than  ever  graced  the  proud 
processions  of  tlie  conquerors  of  the  world.  Prin- 
ces subdued  and  long  trains  of  captives  did  not  at- 
tend the  chariot-wheels  of  Christ  in  a  forced  com- 
pliment; but  as  tropliies  of  his  goodness,  and  as 
grateful  and  voluntary  tokens  of  respect,  garments 
and  boughs  of  trees,  were  strewed  on  the  way,  that 
their  Saviour  might  ride,  as  on  a  carpet,  to  Jerusalem. 
It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  the  Greeks  desired  to  see 
hira,  whose  fame  was  so  renowned,  and  for  whose  re- 
ception so  great  preparations  were  made.  But,  this 
was  not  all.  It  was  not  to  gratify  a  vain  curiosity, 
that  they  came  to  Jerusalem.  They  came  not  only 
to  see  the  person  of  Christ,  but  in  him  to  see  and 
worship  their  Saviour  and  their  King.  The  Greeks, 
who  made  this  request  to  Philip  to  introduce  them 
to  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  were  such,  as  having 
heard  of  him  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,  had  been 
converted  from  the  idolatry  of  the  Gentile  nations. 
They  were  what  were  then  called  proselytes  of 
the  gate,  or,  as  some  suppose,  proselytes  of  righte- 
ousness, who  were  not  entitled  to  all  the  immu- 
nities of  the  Jews,  but  were  suffered  to  live  and 
converse  amongst  them.  They  desired  to  see  him 
on  whom,  though  they  had  not  seen,  yet  they  be- 
lieved. No  doubt,  they  were  desirous  of  being  ad- 
mitted into  his  company,  to  receive  instructions  from 
his  mouth,  respecting  the  things  which  belonged  to 
their  peace.  They,  therefore,  made  application  to 
Philip,  who  was  the  constant  companion  of  Christ, 


284  THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

that,  through  his  iutroduction,  they  miglit  gain  ad- 
mittance. And,  as  they  were  not  entitled  to  all  the 
privileges  of  the  Jews,  lest  it  should  be  considered 
as  an  intrusion,  they  first  asked  leave,  and  said  with 
a  degree  of  diffidence,  "  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus." 

Having  thus  shortly  opened  the  nature  and  cir- 
cumstance of  this  request,  I  shall  proceed  to  what 
I  principally  intended  ;  to  consider  what  it  is  to  see 
Jesus. 

When  I  turn  to  the  awful  solemnity  of  the 
scene  which  we  have  this  day  to  exhibit,  in  which, 
through  the  goodProvidence  of  God,  we  are  favoured 
with  an  opportunity  of  commemorating  the  death 
and  suffering  of  our  crucified  Saviour,  methinks,  were 
1  to  ask  you  what  you  would  see?  The  answer  of 
many  of  you  would  be,  we  would  see  Jesus.  And, 
whilst  many  have  come  out  of  mere  curiosity,  1  hope 
some  of  you,  my  dear  brethren,  impatient  of  so  long 
an  absence,  are  come  with  a  sincere  desire,  to  meet 
your  Saviour  here,  to  see  once  more  the  light  of  his 
countenance,  and  his  stately  steppings  in  his  Sanc- 
tuary, as  you  have  seen  them  in  times  past.  Had 
we  been  told,  that  he  was  on  the  road  and  would  be 
here  to-day,  to  keep  the  feast  with  us  in  his  bodily 
presence,  how  glorious  would  be  the  sight,  how  sweet 
the  entertainment !  What  a  Heavenly  guest  would 
be  the  Son  of  God,  and  with  what  pleasure  might 
we  gaze  upon  the  Lord  of  Glory !  But,  let  us  not 
indulge  these  pleasing  thoughts.  He  has  left  the 
world  ;  he  has  gone  where  we  shall  never  see  him, 
until  we  see  him  in  his  Father's  Kingdom.  But 
yet,  I  hope  you  will  not  be  disappointed  altogether. 
Though  he  has  gone,  he  has  not  forsaken  us.     I 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  285 

hope  he  will  be  here,  though  we  see  him  not.  Oh ! 
keep  on  the  wedding  garment.  Near  eighteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  he  tabernacled  in  the  flesh  and  was 
seen  of  men.  Old  Simeon  saw,  and  clasped  his 
Salvation  in  his  arras.  His  presence  often  comfort- 
ed his  disciples :  they  always  knew  where  they 
might  find  a  friend  in  every  straight :  He  ever  re- 
ceived them  with  cordiality  and  friendship,  and  even 
permitted  John  to  lean  upon  his  breast.  For  many 
years  he  conversed  constantly  with  men,  until  his 
translation  into  Heaven,  when  a  cloud  intercepted 
him  from  their  view.  With  a  mixture  both  of  plea- 
sure and  of  pain,  they  took  their  last  look  of  their 
ascending  Lord,  and  gazed  till  all  the  stupendous 
scene  was  over.  "  Yet  a  little  while,''  says  he,  be- 
fore his  departure,  ^*  ye  see  me,  and  again,  a  little 
while,  and  ye  shall  not  see  me,  for  where  I  go  ye 
cannot  come." 

But,  though  we  cannot  with  our  eyes  behold  him, 
yet  there  is  a  sense  in  which  we  may  see  him  still, 
that  is,  by  our  faith  and  understanding :  for,  we 
walk,  says  the  Apostle,  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight. 
In  a  word,  those  M^ho  are  so  desirous,  may  see 
Jesus  in  the  ordinances  of  his  institution,  which  he 
has  ordained  as  the  medium  of  interview  between 
him,  and  those  who  sincerely  seek  him.  Through 
the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  New  Testament  in  particu- 
lar, we  may  maintain  a  Holy  and  a  pleasant  corres- 
pondence witli  our  Heavenly  Master.  The  Scrip- 
tures, indeed,  are  hidden  to  many;  to  all  such  as  are 
spiritually  blind :  but,  to  those  who  read  with  a 
sincere  desire  to  profit  by  them,  and  to  be  instructed 
in  the  things  which  belong  to  their  everlasting  peace, 


286  THE  VISION  OP  JESUS. 

they  afford  the  sweetest  entertainment,  and  a  Hea- 
venly vision  in  every  page.  As,  when  we  peruse 
the  epistle  of  an  absent  friend,  when  we  read  the 
effusions  of  his  affectionate  and  tender  heart,  we 
feel  a  pleasure  little  inferior  to  that  of  his  personal 
presence  :  so,  also,  when  we  read  the  Holy  Oracles 
which  our  blessed  Lord  has  left  us  on  record  ;  when 
we  read  the  assurances  of  his  love  and  favour,  and 
the  promises  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  to  co-operate  with 
our  own  endeavours,  we  may  see  him  whom  our  soul 
seeketh.  By  the  sanctifying  influences  of  his  Grace, 
and  the  illuminations  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  we  may  as 
in  a  vision  behold  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  opening 
to  us  the  glorious  methods  of  Salvation,  giving  us 
a  view  of  the  Heavenly  Canaan,  directing  us  into 
the  paths  of  peace,  saying,  "  This  is  the  way,  walk 
ye  in  it."  In  the  works  of  nature,  we  may  behold 
the  Great  Creator,  but  in  the  Scriptures  only  can  we 
see  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  As  the  consciousness 
of  guilt,  presents  to  the  wicked  the  awful  picture  of 
an  offended  God  frowning  in  Justice,  the  sincere 
penitent,  may  here  see  the  blessed  Jesus  smiling  in 
mercy,  aud  inviting  him,  to  a  reconciliation  with  his 
Heavenly  Father,  through  the  great  atonement  by 
liis  blood.  He  may  here  see  Justice  satisfied,  and 
the  sinner  saved :  he  may  here  see  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  his  friend  and  advocate,  standing  as  his 
shield,  between  an  offended  God,  and  the  offending 
sinner,  to  ward  off  the  blow.  Well  indeed,  might 
the  Apostle  say,  "  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ,  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  Salvation, 
to  every  one  that  believeth."  As  in  the  open  coun- 
tenance of  a  friend;  we  view  the  index  of  a  generous 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  287 

soul,  SO,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  tender  effusions  of 
compassion  and  forsjiveness,  of  love  and  friendship, 
in  the  Gospel  of  our  Saviour,  we  may  behold  the 
placid  countenance  of  the  blessed  Jesus. 

Secondly  :  We  may  also  see  Jesus  in  the  solemn 
and  delightful  exercise  of  secret  devotion.     In  the 
wide  theatre  of  tlie  world,  the  goodness  of  God  is 
most  conspicuous,  and  his  Providence  most  employ- 
ed :  but  the  secret  retirement  of  the  closet  is  the 
scene,  where  we  may  converse  with  the  Father  of  our 
spirits,  and  the  God  of  our  Salvation.     We  may 
retire  from  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  the  world,  and. 
enjoy  a  holy  interview  in  private  with  our  blessed 
Saviour,  where  no  human  eye  can  see  us.    We  may 
there  make  known  our  case,  unbosom  all  our  com- 
plaints to  Jesus  Christ,  our  tender  and  affectionate 
friend,  and  commune  with  him  who  seeth  in  secret, 
as  it  were  face  to  face.     If  fortune  frowns,  or  if  the 
world  forsakes  us,  we  may  here  find  a  friend,  whose 
compassions  never  fail,  who  himself  knows  what  it 
is  to  be  forsaken  of  the  world,  and,  who  in  pity  of 
his  followers,  administers  in  secret  those  sweet  con- 
solations which  this  world  can  neither  give  nor  take 
away.     In  this  solemn  exercise,  we  are  permitted 
to  draw  near  to  God,  and  he  draws  near  to  us.     It 
is  the  medium  of  sweet  communication  between  Gotl 
and  the  soul,  in  which  we  may,  as  it  were,  see  the 
face  and  taste  the  love  of  Jesus,  who  presents  our 
petitions  in  his  own  name,  before  the  Father's  throne. 
The  Christian   here  receives  that  Heavenly  food 
which  the  world  knows  not  of,  and  the  sweet  conso- 
lations of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  strangers  to  God 
intermeddle  not  with,  and  which  administers  more 


288  THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

pure  pleasure,  than  the  men  of  this  world  receive, 
in  all  the  abundance  of  their  corn  and  wine. 

Thirdly :  The  face  of  Jesus  shines  in  the  worship- 
ping assemblies  of  his  people.     He  delights  in  the 
praises  of  his  Saints,  and  is  wont  to  grace  his  sanc- 
tuaries witli  his  own  presence.     This  is  the  place 
which  he  has  chosen,  in  which  to  meet  his  people, 
and  dispense  to  every  one  according  to  his  necessi- 
ties. "  It  was  good  for  me,"  says  the  Psalmist,  '*  to 
draw  near  to  God."     He  is  ever  to  be  found  of  those 
who  seek  him ;  but  he  is  more  especially  to  be  seen 
amongst  his  assembled  worshippers,  and  has,  as  it 
were,  appointed  his  sanctuary  as  the  place,  w  here  he 
will  meet  with  such  as  desire  to  see  his  sacred 
glory.     He  has  promised,  that  when  two  or  three 
are  met  together  in  his  name,  there    he  will  be 
in  the  midst  of  them.     His  Holy  Spirit  often  ac- 
companies the  preaching  of  his   word,  to  make  it 
effectual  in  building  up  his  Saints,  in  holiness  and 
comfort,  through  faith  unto  Salvation.     This  is  a 
near  approach  to  God  through  the  merits  of  our  Re- 
deemer ;  and  they  who  worship  in  the  sanctuary, 
have  often  good  reason  to  say  with  his  disciples  of 
old,  "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here."    Where  should 
we  see  the  blessed  Jesus,  if  not  when  we  approach 
his  Holy  Altar,  the  peculiar  place  of  his  abode  ? 
Though  we  can  never  be  said  to  be  far  from  God,  for 
in  him  we  live  and  move,  and  have  our  being ;  yet, 
his  house  is  the  place  in  which  he  especially  de- 
lights to  display  his  mildest  glories  in  the  plan  of 
redemption  by  his  Son  Jesus. 

Before  I  proceed  to  the  next  particular,  we  may 
pause  a  moment  to  consider,  how  unfavourable  to 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  289 

their  own  souls,  is  the  conduct  of  those  who  absent 
themselves  repeatedly  from  the  house  of  God.  A 
secret  disinclination  to  the  duties  of  religion,  is  often 
covered  by  the  trite  excuse,  that  we  can  be  as  well 
employed  at  home,  and  may  even  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  reading  a  better  sermon  than  we  should 
hear  from  the  pulpit.  Not  to  insist  that  this  is  no 
more  than  a  mere  pretext,  but  allowing  it  to  be  the 
case,  that  we  should  employ  ourselves  at  home,  in 
reading  and  devout  meditations,  yet  we  would  do 
well  to  consider,  whether  we  do  not  run  a  great  risk 
of  losing  the  blessing  of  God  by  absenting  ourselves 
from  the  assemblies  of  his  people,  the  place  which 
he  has  appointed  to  dispense  his  favours.  Ought 
we  not  to  fear,  lest  we  should  lose  the  sight  of  Je- 
sus, by  abstaining  from  his  sanctuary,  where  he 
shews  his  face  ?  If  we  have  an  offering  to  make  to 
our  Saviour,  where  should  we  offer  it,  but  at  his  al- 
tar ?  This  is  an  ordinance  of  Divine  appointment,  in 
which  our  worship  is  accepted,  through  the  merits 
of  our  Redeemer.  If,  therefore,  we  would  expect  a 
blessing,  we  should  not  forsake  the  assembling  of 
ourselves  together,  nor  let  our  voice  be  wanting, 
when  CInistians  meet  to  celebrate  the  praises  of 
their  Saviour. 

In  the  fourth  place :  They  may  be  said  to  see  Je- 
sus, who  are  enabled,  by  faith,  to  trust  the  keeping 
of  their  souls  to  his  care.  He  that  mourns  under  a 
sense  of  his  sins,  who  is  sensible  of  his  lost  condi- 
tion, may  direct  his  eyes  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  and 
find  a  shelter  under  the  shadow  of  his  wings.  He 
is  ever  to  be  found  of  the  returning  sinner ;  and  he 
that  cometh  to  him  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 

37 


290  THE  VISION  or  JESUS. 

Come  unto  me,  says  he,  '^  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  He  is  ever 
ready  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  and  free  the  pen- 
itent from  the  bonds  of  iniquity.  *^  The  Lord  hath 
sent  me,"  says  he,  "  to  bind  up  the  broken-hearted, 
to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening 
of  the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound  :  To  appoint 
unto  them  that  mourn  in  Zion,  to  give  them  beauty 
for  ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  gar- 
ment of  praise,  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness." 

Oh !  how  precious  is  the  sight  of  Christ  to  the  soul 
that  is  bowed  down  under  a  sense  of  sin!  How 
sweet  to  hear  his  pardoning  voice,  "  Son,  be  of  good 
cheer,  thy  sins  are  forgiven !"  How  happy  the  state, 
to  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ  bearing  witness  with  our 
spirits,  that  we  are  no  longer  the  heirs  of  Hell,  but 
the  children  of  God,  through  the  merits  and  interces- 
sion of  the  dear  Redeemer.  If  any  are  in  my  hearing, 
who  have  thus  seen  the  smiling  countenance  of  Je- 
sus, as  1  hope  there  are,  O !  be  thankful,  and  rejoice 
in  the  God  of  your  Salvation.  If  there  are  any  who 
would  wish  to  see  him,  let  me  exhort  you  to  seek 
him  diligently  in  the  ordinances  of  his  institution, 
and  ye  shall  find  him.  Oh  !  if  I  thought  there  were 
any  that  had  set  their  faces  Zion-ward,  I  would 
gladly  dwell  upon  this  subject.  I  would  rejoice,  if  I 
could  be  instrumental  in  directing  you  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Saviour  of  sinners.  But,  if  there 
should  chance  to  be  one  who  would  wish  to  see  their 
Saviour,  let  me  encourage  you  to  persevere.  Be  not 
discouraged  because  your  sins  are  great.  This  is  a 
suggestion,  which  the  great  enemy  of  your  souls  is 
ever  ready  to  throw  in  the  way.     He  is  apt  to  tell 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  291 

the  poor  dejected  sinner,  that  his  crimes  are  so  great, 
he  need  not  look  for  pardon.  But,  my  dear  brother, 
it  was  for  such  sinners  that  Jesus  died  ;  and  his  blood 
is  of  sufficient  efficacy  to  wash  away  your  stains. 
**  Come,  let  us  reason  together,''  saith  the  Lord; 
*^ though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  I  can  make  them 
white  as  snow ;  and  though  they  be  as  crimson,  I  can 
make  them  as  wool."  0!  come  and  see  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, for  he  is  gracious.  Come,  guilty  and  heavy-la- 
den as  you  arc,  come  with  all  your  sins,  for  he  is  able 
and  willing  to  save  to  the  uttermost.  Come,  plead 
the  merits  of  his  blood,  which  was  shed  on  purpose 
for  the  remission  of  sin,  which  pleads  in  your  be- 
half, and  if  your  crimes  are  great,  you  will  only  be 
the  richer  trophy  of  his  grace.  Had  men  been 
guiltless,  Christ  had  not  died:  the  whole  have  no 
need  of  a  physician,  but  those  that  are  sick.  Come, 
therefore,  under  a  deep  sense  of  your  sins,  and  my 
dear  brethren,  you  come  well  recommended.  Let  us, 
therefore,  be  encouraged  to  wait  upon  him,  without 
weariness,  and  he  will  be  found  of  us  in  his  own 
good  time  and  way.  *•  He  that  cometh  unto  me," 
says  he,  "  1  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  1  love  them 
that  love  me,  and  those  that  seek  me  early  shall 
find  me." 

5thly.  The  blessed  Jesus  is  represented  in  a  very 
lively  manner  in  the  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  supper. 
In  the  common  ordinances  of  God's  institution,  the 
face  of  our  Redeemer  shines  in  Glory,  as  head  over 
all  things  to  his  Church  ;  but  in  this  mournful  scene, 
he  is  evidently  held  forth  as  crucified,  before  our 
eyes,  with  his  face  marred  by  sinful  men.  He,  here 
lays  aside  the  briglituess  of  his  Father's  glory,  and 


292  THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

appears  in  the  character  of  a  distressed  sufferer.  Yon 
have  often  heard  of  our  Saviour's  crucifixion,  and 
that  it  pleased  God  to  lay  on  him  the  iniquities  of 
us  all,  and  yet  by  his  stripes  we  were  healed.  Be- 
hold there  the  symbols  of  his  broken  body  and  shed 
blood.  In  this  sad  spectacle,  we  may  behold  the 
sufferings  which  our  Saviour  endured  on  our  ac- 
count. Look  on  his  mangled  body,  and  bedew  it 
with  drops  of  unfeigned  love  and  sorrow.  Oh !  Chris- 
tian, look  on  him  whom  you  have  crucified ;  and 
while  your  hearts  melt  under  the  sense  of  his  love 
in  giving  himself  for  you,  let  them  be  broken  on  ac- 
count of  your  sins,  which  brought  your  Saviour  to 
that  dreadful  end.  Oh !  look  on  him,  whom  you 
have  pierced,  and  mourn,  as  one  mourneth  for  a 
first-born,  or  for  an  only  child.  In  these  sad  sym- 
bols, we  may,  as  it  were,  behold  the  bruised  body  of 
our  Saviour,  and  by  faith  in  his  blood,  appropriate 
his  sufferings  as  the  great  atonement  for  our  sins. 
Like  Thomas,  we  may  put  our  finger  into  the  print 
of  the  nails,  and  cry  out  with  a  mixture  of  love  and 
sorrow,  my  Lord,  and  my  God.  In  the  elements  of 
bread  and  wine,  we  may  taste  and  handle  of  the 
word  of  life  ;  "  for  my  flesh,"  says  our  Saviour,  "  is 
meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed."  1  would 
not  teach  you,  my  brethren,  that  these  consecrated 
elements  are  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and 
that  as  often  as  you  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the 
wine,  you  do  really  eat  his  l)ody  and  drink  his 
blood.  This  would  be,  as  the  Apostle  says,  not  to 
discern  the  Lord's  body.  No,  we  are  by  faith  to 
look  through  the  signs  to  the  things  signified  by 
them.     It  is  designed  as  a  feast,  not  for  the  body, 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  293 

but  for  the  soul,  which  does  not  feed  upon  substan- 
tial food.  Whoso  eateth  the  body  of  Christ,  shall 
never  hunger,  and  whoso  drinketh  his  blood,  shall 
never  thirst ;  but,  unless  in  the  exercise  of  faith  we 
are  enabled  to  discern  spiritually  the  Lord's  body, 
we  may  eat  this  bread  and  drink  this  cup  without 
any  profit  to  ourselves,  but  rather  in  so  doing,  eat 
and  drink  judgment  to  ourselves.  God  has  appoint- 
ed these  sensible  signs,  not  from  any  real  virtue  in 
themselves,  but  for  the  assistance  of  our  faith,  be- 
cause they  are  familiar  to  lis,  and  well  calculated  to 
bring  to  our  remembrance  in  a  lively  and  aiBecting 
manner,  the  death  and  suflferings  of  our  blessed  Sa- 
viour. The  Apostle  reproving  the  Corinthians  for 
their  abuses  of  this  holy  ordinance,  particularly  in 
profaning  the  Lord's  supper  with  their  own  feasts, 
tells  them,  that  their  meeting  together  in  that  case 
was  not  for  the  better,  but  for  the  worse.  "  When 
ye  come  together  into  one  place,"  says  he,  "this  is 
not  to  eat  the  Lord's  supper  :  for  in  eating,  every  one 
taketh  before  the  other  his  own  supper,  and  one  is  hun- 
gry, and  another  is  drunken.  What  shall  1  say  to 
you  ?"  says  he.  "  Shall  I  praise  you  in  this  ?  I  praise 
you  not."  Then  recalling  their  recollection  to  the 
primitive  institution,  he  informs  them,  "  That  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  same  night  in  which  he  was  be- 
trayed, took  bread  :  and  when  he  had  given  thanks, 
break  it,  and  said  '  Take,  cat :  this  is  my  body  bro- 
ken for  you.  This  do  in  remembrance,  or  for  a  re- 
membrance of  me."  This  shows  then  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  is  held  forth  in  this  ordinance  as  the  object  of 
faith,  and  that  he  is  not  transubstantiated  into  the 
elements,  as  some  have  vainly  and  superstiiiously 


294  THE  VISION  OF  JESUS. 

believed ;  that  these  symbols  are  intended  only  to 
bring  the  death  and  sufferings  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
more  strongly  and  affectingly  to  our  remembrance. 
When  we  behold  the  broken  bread  and  the  wine 
poured  out,  we  are  to  understand  by  it,  that  the  pre- 
cious body  of  Christ  was  bruised,  and  that  his  blood 
was  shed  for  the  remission  of  our  sins.  As  we  de- 
rive our  ideas  in  general  from  outward  objects,  so 
these  external  signs  are  designed  not  to  feed  the 
body,  but  affect  the  heart. 

And,  as  the  blessed  Jesus  is  represented  by  the 
symbols  of  bread  and  wine ;  the  one  the  staff  of 
life,  the  other  calculated  to  cheer  the  heart,  so,  also, 
they  intimate  to  us,  that  we  are  to  look  to  Jesus 
Christ  for  spiritual  food,  who  is  the  bread  of  life 
which  Cometh  down  from  Heaven  :    To  look  to  him 
for  that  hidden  manna  which  is  the  support  of  the 
Christian  life;  for  the  influences  of  his  Holy  Spirit, 
and  the  effusions  of  his  Grace,  which  shall  be  suffi- 
cient for  us,  which  will  make  our  broken   bones 
rejoice,  and   our   hearts   glad  in  the  God  of  our 
Salvation.     When,  therefore,  you  receive  the  ele- 
ments, let  your  faith  look  through  the  signs,  and 
receive  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  your  all-sufficient 
portion.     And,  further,  inasmuch  as  we  are  com- 
manded to  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wine,  we 
may  learn  from  hence  the  intimate  union  between 
Christ  and  his  people,  and,  that  we  are  to  be  en- 
grafted, as  it  were,  into  his  body,  and  live  a  life  of 
Holiness  by  the  assistance  of  his  Grace.     "  1  am 
the  vine,"  says  he,  "  ye  are  the  branches ;  a!)ide  in 
me,  and  I  in  you.     As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit 
of  itself,  except  it  abide  in  the  vine ;  no  more  can  ye, 


THE  VISION  OF  JESUS.  295 

except  ye  abide  ia  me.''  Accordiugly,  the  Apostle 
says,  "  To  me  to  live  is  Christ."  And  elsewhere, 
'*  1  am  crucified  with  Christ ;  nevertheless  1  live : 
yet,  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me :  and,  the  life 
which  1  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  himself  for 
me." 

Once  more,  as  the  wine  is  an  allusion  to  our  Sa- 
viour's blood,  it  is  to  be  considered  as  a  solemn 
pledge  of  our  allegiance  to  him.  This  is  an  usual 
practice  in  confederacies  amongst  men-  The  seven 
warriors  round  the  walls  of  Thebes,  plighted  their 
faith  to  be  true  to  each  other,  in  a  draught  of  bul- 
lock's blood  ;  and  the  Catalinarian  conspirators 
broached  a  vein  in  their  arms,  and,  mixing  their 
blood  with  wine,  pledged  their  faith  in  an  oath  of 
horrid  fidelity.  But,  what  is  the  blood  of  bulls? 
or,  what  the  blood  of  a  banditti  of  desperate  men, 
to  the  precious  blood  of  the  Son  of  God  ?  This  is 
the  strongest  and  most  solemn  of  all  obligations,  in 
which  we  bind  ourselves  to  be  the  faithful  followers 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  I  have  been  the  more  explicit 
in  this  particular,  in  order  to  open  to  you,  as  clearly 
as  possible,  the  nature  and  design  of  this  solemn 
transaction.  O!  Christian,  receive  this  Holy  ordi- 
nance in  faith,  and  you  will,  indeed,  see  Jesus  to 
your  comfort  and  unspeakable  joy. 

Lastly,  under  this  head  :  There  is  still  reserved  a 
more  glorious  sight  for  all  the  friends  of  Jesus ;  that 
is,  the  open  vision  of  their  Saviour  in  his  Father's 
kingdom.  In  the  ordinances  of  God's  institution 
here  below,  we  see,  as  in  a  glass,  darkly ;  but  there, 
we  shall  see  face  to  face ;  we  shall  see  as  we  are 


296  THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

seen,  and  know  as  we  are  known.  Oh!  how  glo- 
rious will  be  the  sight  of  tliat  precious  body  iu  exal- 
tation and  glory,  which  once  hung  for  us  upon  the 
cross,  and  redeemed  our  souls  from  death.  Here 
we  see  him  faintly  by  types  and  figures,  in  receiving 
bread  and  wine ;  but,  there  we  shall  drink  new  wine 
with  him  in  his  Father's  kingdom.  Oh!  this  will 
be  the  consummation  of  our  faith  and  hope ;  for,  our 
faith  shall  then  be  swallowed  up  of  vision,  and  our 
hopes  terminate  in  complete  enjoyment.  Here,  in 
broken  symbols  we  may  contemplate  his  body  ;  but 
there,  we  shall  see  our  Redeemer  as  he  is,  and  re- 
semble him  forever. 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR   SHAME. 

"  For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ." 

Romans,  1st  cliap.  16tli  verse. 

It  generally  happens  in  matters  of  religion,  as  it 
sometimes  does  in  the  ordinary  occurrences  of  life, 
men  are  asliamed  to  acknowledge,  in  public,  the  oc- 
cupations by  which  they  earn  their  daily  subsis- 
tence, especially,  if  by  the  corrupted  maxims  of  the 
world,  the  idea  of  poverty  or  meanness  be  annexed 
to  them.  So,  also,  in  the  concerns  of  religion,  many 
who  can  see  no  defect  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME.  297 

no  impropriety  or  indecency  in  the  performance  of 
their  duty  to  God,  are  yet  ashamed  to  practise  the 
one,  or  to  profess  the  other,  lest  they  should  be  ex- 
posed to  ridicule  or  contempt  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  who  consider  it  only  as  the  business  of  the 
sober  and  unpolished,  to  be  religious,  and  of  persons 
of  ignoble  blood  to  profess  the  Gospel  of  a  crucified 
Saviour.  Did  we  consider  the  nature  and  design 
of  the  Gospel,  and  how  necessary  were  its  precepts 
to  our  present  and  future  happiness,  we  should  im- 
agine that  it  would  readily  be  embraced  by  all  the 
world;  yet,  such  is  the  corruption  of  human  nature, 
that  mankind  in  general  are  ashamed  of  it.  Al- 
though they  must  be  sensible,  that  they  stand  in  great 
need  of  the  provision  that  is  made,  and  the  mercy 
that  is  offered  by  Jesus  Christ,  they  notwithstand- 
ing reject  them  with  scorn ;  and,  if  they  cannot 
be  saved  by  their  own  righteousness  and  good  works, 
they  seem  resolved  rather  to  suffer,  than  to  confess 
their  own  impotency,  or  to  purchase  their  happiness 
at  the  expense  of  reproach,  or  the  galling  sacrifice 
of  human  pride.  What  an  ungenerous  return  do 
they  make,  for  the  kindness  of  Jesus  Christ,  who 
humbled  himself  even  unto  death,  to  purchase  for 
them  the  benefit  of  the  Gospel,  when  they  treat  it  with 
contempt,  and  are  ashamed  to  profess  it !  So  pre- 
valent and  universal  is  the  contagion  of  evil  maxims 
and  example,  and  such  is  the  corruption  of  human 
nature,  that  there  are  very  few,  if  any,  in  our  day, 
who  can  say  with  the  Apostle,  "  I  am  not  ashamed 
of  it." 

Surely  religion  is  at  a  very  low  ebb ;  its  doctrines 
are  indefensible,  or  our  faith  is  very  weak,  when 

38 


298  THE  dOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

men  of  the  most  shameful  and  abandoned  character 
are  suffered  to  triumph  over  its  professors.  Surely 
it  is  but  a  small  sacrifice  we  make  to  religion,  if,  in 
deliance  of  the  ridicule  of  the  world,  we  should  not 
be  ashamed  to  profess  and  to  support  it,  from  which 
our  present  subsistence  and  our  future  hopes  are  both 
derived.  If  there  are  any  in  this  assembly,  who, 
in  their  hearts,  wish  well  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  let 
me  have  the  assistance  of  your  countenance  and  ap- 
probation, whilst  I  stand  forth  this  day  in  its  defence, 
against  the  libertinism  whith  so  much  prevails.  Let 
me  encourage  you  to  make  open  profession  of  your 
faith  in  the  Gospel,  and,  believe  me,  it  shall  not  be 
turned  to  shaoie,  unless  it  be  by  the  weakness  of  its 
defence.  If  you  believe  in  your  he^irts,  that  the 
Lord  is  Christ,  and  will  not  be  ashamed  to  make 
open  profession  of  him  with  your  mouth,  you  will 
have  reason  to  rejoice  that  the  light  of  his  Gospel 
has  reached  your  eyes,  and  that  your  ears  have 
heard  its  joyful  sound. 

Let  tlie  scoffers  of  the  age  exert  their  wretched 
talents,  in  ridiculing  the  most  important  concerns  of 
religion ;  but,  let  me  caution  them  to  beware,  lest 
they  purchase  their  character  as  wits,  at  too  dear  a 
rate,  and  joke  themselves  into  everlasting  destruc- 
tion. Let  me  remind  them,  that  the  merit  of  the 
Gospel  is  not  a  matter  of  empty  speculation  :  it  is 
life  everlasting  to  embrace  it ;  it  is  death  to  reject 
it.  It  is,  indeed,  a  distressing  consideration,  that 
men,  whose  interests  are  the  greatest  of  all  other 
creatures,  should  be  the  most  blinded  to  tbem.  The 
irrational  creatures,  led  by  instinct  in  an  unerring 
tx'ack,  pursue  the  objects  that  are  most  conducive  to 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME.  299 

the  happiness  of  their  natures ;  but,  mankind,  endu- 
ed with  the  superior  privilege  of  reason  and  under- 
standing, instead  of  using  them  to  the  advancement 
of  their  happiness,  employ  them,  rather  the  more 
eft'ectually  to  secure  their  own  damnation.  Surely 
reason  would  not  lead  to  so  unwise  a  choice ;  but, 
such  is  the  dreadful  effect  of  sin,  that  it  has  set  our 
inclinations  at  variance  with  our  better  judgment, 
and  has  subjected  our  reason  to  the  dominion  of  our 
passions.  Suffering  ourselves  to  be  led  blind-folded 
by  this  blind  guide,  has  been  the  occasion  of  so 
many  of  us  falling  iuto  the  gulpli  of  libertinism  and 
infidelity,  which  make,  in  these  degenerate  days, 
such  rapid  progress,  that  the  Gospel  is  treated 
by  the  very  witling,  with  contempt,  and  our  most 
Holy  religion  has  become  the  laughing-stock  of 
fools.  And,  as  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  so  gene- 
rally neglected  and  treated  by  many  with  every 
mark  of  contempt,  one  would  be  led  to  imagine, 
that  it  was,  indeed,  ridiculous  or  absurd,  especially 
as  the  scoffers  would  persuade  us,  that  their  con- 
tempt of  it  was  the  effect  of  their  superior  reason. 
I  shall,  therefore,  attempt  to  vindicate  it  against 
this  charge,  and  fix  the  reproach  where  it  is  justly 
due.  In  order  to  prepare  the  subject  for  this  pur- 
pose, I  shall  endeavour  to  consider,  in  the  first  place, 
what  the  Gospel  implies  :  Secondly,  to  consider 
the  reasons  that  induce  men  to  be  ashamed  of  it : 
And,  in  the  third  place,  to  show  on  what  account 
the  Apostle  Paul,  and  Christians  in  general,  so 
far  from  being  ashamed,  should  rather  glory  in  it : 
"For,  I  am  not  ashamed,"  says  he,  "of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ." 


300  THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

And,  under  the  first  head^  the  word  Gospel,  being 
a  corruption  of,  or  derived  from  the  old  Baxon 
word  Godspel,  literally  signifies  glad  tidings,  or  good 
news.  This  too,  is  the  literal  import  of  the  word 
Evangelion,  in  the  original  Greek,  which,  in  the 
Bible,  is  translated  Gospel.  Accordingly,  the  Dis- 
ciples of  Christ  are  called  Evangelists,  or  the  pub- 
lishers of  good  news.  It  surely  was  glad  tidings  to 
the  world  polluted  with  transgression  and  exposed 
to  the  wrath  of  Almighty  God,  to  hear  that  he  was 
yet  willing  to  be  reconciled  to  sinners.  Was  it  not 
an  agreeable,  a  joyful  surprise  to  the  guilty  sons  of 
men,  already  under  the  awful  sentence  of  condem- 
nation, to  hear  that  they  had  obtained  a  reprieve,  and 
the  hopes  of  pardon  with  an  offended  God  were  of- 
fered to  them  through  Jesus  Christ?  Conscious  of 
our  guilt  and  ill  desert,  when  the  eternal  Son  of 
God  came  into  the  world,  must  we  not  have  quaked 
with  the  fearful  apprehension,  that  he  had  come  to 
bring  a  sword  for  our  destruction,  and  to  take  ven- 
geance for  his  broken  law  ?  Had  it  been  so,  his 
sword  ere  now  had  been  drunk  with  our  blood. 
But,  O!  hear  the  good  news,  hear  it  with  joy  and 
gratitude,  he  came  to  bring  the  Gospel  or  the  offer 
of  peace,  of  pardon  to  us,  of  reconciliation  with  an 
offended  God,  and  of  eternal  happiness  in  Heaven, 
instead  of  being  doomed  without  hope  of  mercy,  to 
the  dismal  abodes  of  Hell.  Who  would  not  have 
supposed,  that  the  awful  ministers  of  justice  com- 
posed the  vindictive  retinue  of  the  Son  of  God,  to 
execute  vengeance  on  the  human  race,  who  had  most 
ungratefully  rebelled  against  his  Father?  But  in- 
stead of  the  minister  of  justice,  behold  the  angel  of 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME.  801 

mercy.  The  air  is  filled  with  the  glorious  sound. 
O !  hear,  tlie  joyful  proclamation,  "  1  bring  you  glad 
tidings  of  great  joy,  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to 
men.  Unto  you  is  born  this  day  a  Saviour,  which 
is  Christ  the  Lord.''  It  certainly  would  be  a  joy- 
ous message  to  prisoners  under  sentence  of  human 
laws,  to  hear  that  their  pardon  had  been  granted  and 
the  prison -doors  were  opened ;  and  should  we  not  ac- 
count them  mad  to  the  last  degree,  should  they  begin 
to  throw  in  objections  against  the  propriety  of  the 
proclamation,  and  refuse  to  come  out  ?  On  generous 
minds,  the  goodness  of  God  iu  sending  a  Saviour 
would  have  the  good  effect  of  leading  them  to  re- 
pentance, and  causing  them  to  regret  the  first  trans- 
gression. Certainly,  then,  we  are  the  more  unpar- 
donable and  worthy  of  the  more  dreadful  condemna- 
tion, if  we  should  reject  the  mercy  purchased  at  so 
dear  a  rate,  and  sin  against  so  great  a  salvation. 
Did  we  consider  the  dreadful  fate  to  which  we  were 
exposed ;  could  we  realize  the  horrors  of  the  aw- 
ful dungeon  which  was  prepared  for  the  Devil 
and  his  Angels ;  could  we  see  the  iron-gates  of 
Hell,  and  hear  the  groans  of  damned  ghosts,  with 
what  eagerness  would  we  seize  any  opportuni- 
ty of  flying  from  that  place  of  torment  ?  Horrid  as 
this  picture  is,  it  is  but  a  faint,  rather  than  an  exag- 
gerated representation.  And,  this  is  the  doom  to 
which  we  were  exposed ;  and  this  is  a  state,  from 
which  a  deliverance  is  provided  in  the  Gospel  of  Je- 
sus Christ.  This  being  the  case,  could  we  believe, 
that  any  could  be  found  so  mad  as  not  to  embrace 
it ;  that  so  much  pride  could  consist  with  so  much 
distress,  as  to  induce  sinners,  doomed  to  destruc- 


802  THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

tion,  to  be  asliamed  of  this  glorious  plan  of  salva- 
tion ?  Yet,  unhappy  experience  abundantly  evinces, 
that  the  only  effect  it  has  had  on  the  generality  of 
persons,  is  to  put  them  to  the  trouble  of  inventing 
excuses,  or  of  filing  exceptions  against  it. 

Let  us,  therefore,  proceed  to  examine,  under  the 
second  head  which  I  proposed,  what  it  is  in  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  that  has  given  such  general  offence 
to  the  world,  or  induced  them  to  be  ashamed  of  it. 
In  the  first  place,  the  poverty  and  meanness  of  our 
Saviour's  birth,  and  appearance  in  the  world,  was 
as  early,  and  will,  probably,  be  as  lasting  a  preju- 
dice, as  any  that  have  been  taken  up  against  the 
Gospel.  The  little  pomp  and  grandeur  of  earthly 
riches  will  give  a  sanction  to  the  words  of  the  most  con- 
summate ignorance  and  weakness  ;  whilst  the  words 
of  wisdom  itself,  however  necessary  and  wholsome, 
■will  be  treated  with  contempt  or  ridicule,  if  they 
proceed  from  the  mouth  of  one  who  is  poor  and  de- 
pressed. The  heathen  oracles,  because  the  inven- 
tion of  human  wisdom,  were  implicitly  obeyed,  and 
the  splendour  of  the  shrine  was  accounted  sufficient 
to  illuminate  the  darkness  of  their  absurd  and  am- 
biguous answers.  The  very  obscurity  of  the  re- 
plies received  from  them,  inspired  the  vain  and  su- 
perstitious with  the  most  solemn  veneration  for  their 
profound,  unfathomable  wisdom :  But,  how  differ- 
ently did  they  treat  the  oracles  of  the  Divine  Teach- 
ers sent  of  God  ?  Though  he  spake  as  never  man 
Bpake,  being  wise  in  their  own  conceits,  they  ac- 
counted it  as  altogether  foolishness :  professing  them- 
selves to  be  wise,  they  became  fools,  and  esteemed 
the  meanness  of  his  birth,  and  the  poverty  of  his  cir- 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOB  SHAME.  303 

cumstances,  as  weighty  arguments  against  the  truth 
an«i  wisdom  of  his  doctrines.  **  Is  not  this,"  say  they, 
^^  Joseph  the  carpenter^s  son  ?  Can  any  good  come 
out  of  Nazareth  ?  or  any  prophet  out  of  Gallilee  ?" 
Thus,  the  only  return  they  made  to  his  instructions, 
was  reproach,  on  account  of  the  meanness  of  his 
birth  and  parentage,  and  the  obscurity  of  the  coun- 
try from  which  he  came.  Yet,  so  weighty  is  the 
force  of  truth,  that  it  would  have  prevailed  in  time 
over  all  opposition ;  and  it  did  even  astonish  his 
enemies,  and  extorted  from  them  the  involuntary  con- 
fession, that  never  man  spake  as  he  spake :  but, 
what  little  credit  his  low  birth,  and  the  necessity  of 
his  circumstances  left  him,  was  totalljtdestroyed  by 
his  suflferiugs  and  death.  When  the  hour  of  his 
suflFering  was  approaching,  and  he  was  bowed  down 
with  affliction,  they  openly  and  cruelly  insulted 
over  his  distress,  and  with  a  malicious  mockery, 
triumphed  over  his  pretensions  to  save  the  world. 
"  Thou  who  destroyest  the  temple,  and  buildest  it  up 
in  three  days,"  now  '^  save  thyself."  ♦<  If  thou  be 
the  Son  of  God,  come  down  from  the  cross." 

2dly.  This,  then,  is  another  cau§e  of  offence 
against  the  Gospel :  If  the  wisdom  of  our  Saviour's 
instructions,  and  the  sanction  of  miracles  in  support 
of  his  mission,  could  not  procure  him  obedience  and 
respect,  we  need  not  be  surprised  if  it  proved  inef- 
fectual in  his  Apostles  to  preach  Christ  crucified. 
This  was  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling  block,  and  to  the 
Greeks  foolishness.  The  Jews  looked  for  a  great 
temporal  deliverer  from  the  galling  yoke  of  bon- 
dage. They,  therefore,  would  confide  in  none,  nor 
would  they  receive  any  to  rule  over  them,  but  a  great 


304  THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

and  splendid  personage,  whose  appearance  would 
have  spoken  his  power  and  dignity.  They  had  no 
need,  as  they  supposed,  of  such  a  Saviour  as  Jesus 
Christ,  who  seemed  to  be  even  now,  more  miserable 
than  themselves,  and  notable  to  rescue  himself  from 
the  most  ignominious  and  accursed  death.  To  the 
Greeks  also,  it  was  foolishness.  The  men  of  Athens 
sought  after  wisdom,  and  they  could  see  but  little 
of  that  in  the  simplicity  of  our  Saviour's  doctrines, 
and  nothing  but  foolishness  in  the  cross.  So  blind- 
ed were  they  with  the  ideas  of  worldly  greatness, 
that  they  conceived  of  the  majesty  of  God,  according 
to  their  own  notions  of  power  and  dignity.  When 
they  made  their  Jupiter  to  speak,  his  voice  forsooth 
was  thunder,  and  his  grand  appearance  was  a  blaze 
of  fire.  The  oracles  of  their  Apollo,  were  too  mys- 
terious and  too  sacred  to  be  communicated  to  vulgar 
ears.  But  in  Jesus  Christ,  there  was  no  such  ap- 
pearance; his  majesty  was  not  supported  by  such 
little  helps  of  outward  pomp  and  grandeur  as  the 
mock-majesty  of  men  requires.  His  voice  was  mild- 
ness and  mercy,  instead  of  thunder;  instead  of 
lightning,  he  exhibited  a  human  appearance,  for  he 
was  found  in  fashion  as  a  man ;  his  oracles  were 
not  wrapped  up  in  mysteries  and  obscurity,  but  his 
doctrines  were  plain  and  simple,  they  were  calcula- 
ted to  purify  the  heart,  to  give  wisdom  and  under- 
standing to  the  simple ;  they  were  communicated  to 
every  ear,  and  the  poor  had  his  Gospel  preached  to 
them.  It  is  easy  to  see,  how  exceptionable  these 
parts  of  the  Gospel  are  to  the  world  in  general,  who 
are  pufl'ed  up  witli  vain  notions  of  wisdom  and  pow- 
er.   They  take  offence  at  the  author  of  our  salvation. 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME.  305 

because  he  appeared  in  poverty  and  not  in  honour 
and  majesty,  with  a  splendid  retinue  whose  very  ap- 
pearance might  command  respect  and  credit. 

3dly.  Tbe  doctrine  which  the  Grospel  contains? 
of  the  future  punishment  of  the  wicked,  is  another 
source  of  great  oflFence.  They,  therefore,  would 
frame  an  excuse  for  continuing  in  sin,  by  turning 
the  Gospel  to  shame,  or  endeavouring  to  persuade 
themselves  into  the  disbelief  of  it.  To  purchase 
indulgence  in  sin,  at  the  constant  expense  of  the  re- 
bukes of  conscience,  is  indeed  an  intolerable  situa- 
tion to  continue  in.  It,  therefore,  has  become  the 
art  of  the  world,  to  find  shelter  in  the  forlorn  hopes 
of  infidelity,  that  they  may  enjoy  the  poor  pleasures 
of  sin,  without  being  disturbed  by  the  fears  of  pun- 
ishment. I  need  not  enlarge  upon  this  :  you  know 
how  common  it  is,  and  can  easily  see  how  absurd 
and  dangerous.  And,  passing  over  in  silence  many 
other  particulars  that  might  be  mentioned,  for  offen- 
ces against  the  Gospel  are  almost  innumerable,  I 
shall  proceed  to  observe,  in  the  last  place, 

That  the  desire  of  being  accounted  wise  or  witty, 
is  another  very  common  source  of  prejudice  against 
the  Gospel.  Tlie  age  in  which  we  live  will  afford 
a  sad  proof,  how  prevalent  offences  of  this  kind  are, 
and  how  catching  the  spirit  of  libertinism  is.  So 
vitiated  and  so  depraved  is  our  taste,  that  we  em- 
brace infidelity  as  a  mark  of  superior  sense,  and  will 
barter  the  salvation  of  our  immortal  souls,  for  the 
sake  of  a  dull  and  silly  joke.  Such  kind  of  folly^ 
of  all  others,  is  the  most  inexcusable.  They  who, 
to  be  accounted  uncommonly  wise,  from  a  petulant 
itch  for  singularity,  profess  themselves  infidels,  take 

39 


306  TUE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

great  paius  to  shew  how  little  they  esteem  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ,  and  represent  it  as  the  want  of  spirit, 
or  the  want  of  genius  to  be  religious.  Their  chief 
merit,  and  the  greatest  mark  of  wisdom,  as  they  con- 
ceive, consists  in  contradicting  the  opinion  of  all  the 
world  respecting  religion,  and  representing  any  at- 
tachment to  tlie  Gospel  of  Christ,  as  a  narrowness 
of  mind,  or  the  prejudice  of  education.  There  are 
not  wanting  persons  of  this  character,  in  every  pro- 
fession, art  and  science,  whose  mark  of  wisdom  lies 
in  contradicting  opinions  that  are  commonly  received ; 
but,  they  are  much  the  most  numerous  in  the  things 
of  religion.  The  common  professions  of  life  are 
much  divided,  and  few,  comparatively,  are  concern- 
ed about  them.  These,  then,  are  not  sufficient  ob- 
jects for  the  wisdom  of  libertines  and  infidels;  for, 
their  conquests  would  be  too  limited :  but,  religion 
is  the  universal  concern  of  all  mankind,  and  here 
their  ambition  leads  them  to  triumph  over  all  the 
world.  With  all  their  freedom  of  thinking,  they 
do  not  so  much  as  consider  either  the  merits  or  de- 
merits of  religion ;  but,  finding  that  it  is  generally 
received,  they  set  themselves  in  opposition  to  it,  for 
uo  other  reason  than  because  it  is  generally  received. 
Their  ambition  is  to  shew,  tliat  they  only  are  wise, 
and  to  convict  the  whole  world  of  an  error.  They, 
therefore,  profess  themselves  greater  infidels  than 
they  are  capable  of  being.  It  is  vain  to  urge  upon 
them  the  reasonableness  of  endeavouring  to  serve 
and  please  their  Maker ;  it  would  spoil  their  glory 
to  listen  to  the  dictates  of  reason ;  for,  how  then 
would  they  be  accounted  wiser  than  others,  if  they 
believed  the  same  things  which  they  believe  ?    Such 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME,  307 

are  governed  by  no  other  principle  than  that  of  op- 
position ;  and  to  avoid  a  conformity  to  the  common 
opinion  in  matters  of  religion,  they  choose  the  piti- 
ful and  costly  pre-eminence  of  being  singularly  bad. 
The  bare  profession  of  their  disbelief  of  the  Gospel, 
is  their  exclusive  title  to  wisdom ;  and  to  conceal 
from  the  world  their  fears  of  punishment  by  openly 
blaspheming  the  name  of  Christ,  is  their  desperate 
mark  of  courage. 

Having  thus  enumerated  some  of  the  causes  for 
which  men  are  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ, 
I  proceed  to  consider,  in  the  last  place,  on  what  ac- 
count, so  far  from  being  ashamed,  we  should  rather 
glory  in  it.  And,  here  we  need  no  better  reason 
than  that  which  the  Apostle  has  assigned ;  "  for,  it 
is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth.'"  To  this  purpose,  also,  was  the  reply 
of  Peter,  to  the  question  of  our  Saviour,  at  a  time 
when  many  of  his  Disciples  had  taken  offence  and  left 
bim;  "Will  ye,  also,  go  away?"  "Lord,'' says 
he,  ^^  to  whom  should  we  go,  but  unto  thee  ?  Thou 
only  hast  the  words  of  everlasting  life.''  This, 
surely,  is  a  sufficient  reason  why  we  should  glory 
in  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  If  it  be  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  them  that  believe,  we  need  not 
envy  the  lot  of  the  infidel,  to  whom  it  is  the  savour 
of  death  unto  death.  If  faith  in  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ  will  procure  the  salvation  of  our  immortal 
souls,  we  shall  not  lose  by  resigning  that  share  of 
applause,  which  is  due  to  those  who  ridicule  or  blas- 
pheme it.  Let  others  be  ashamed  of  him  on  account 
of  the  poverty  and  mean  appearance  of  the  Great 
Author  of  our  salvation ;  but^  we  will  not  be  asha- 


308  THE  CiOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

med  to  reverence  and  adore  him  ;  for,  he  has  decla- 
red himself  to  be  tlie  Son  of  God  with  power.  We 
need  not  be  ashamed  of  his  humble  station  ;  for,  he 
humbled  himself  that  he  might  exalt  us  to  the 
Throne  of  Grod.  If  we  would  judge  rightly,  we 
must  look  beyond  the  veil  of  flesh,  which  conceal- 
ed his  excellence  from  the  eyes  of  prejudiced  men, 
and  through  the  thin  disguise  we  may  behold  the 
Lord  of  Glory. 

In  the  second  place,  Christ  crucified  was  to  the 
Greeks  foolishness^  and  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling 
block ;  but  to  those  who  believe,  he  is  the  power  of 
God.  The  blinded  and  inveterate  Jews  could  see 
nothing  but  blood  aiid  water  gushing  from  his  side; 
but  to  those  who  believe  in  him,  salvation  flows  from 
every  vein.  In  the  w^orks  of  creation  we  may  see 
the  power,  the  goodness,  and  by  natural  inference, 
the  justice  of  God ;  but  his  power  is  a  terror  to  the 
weakness  of  sinful  flesh :  from  his  goodness,  we 
learn  our  baseness  and  ingratitude  in  abusing  it,  and 
bis  justice  affords  no  consolation  to  the  guilty.  That 
which  may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  in  his 
works ;  for,  the  invisible  things  of  him  are  clearly 
manifested  by  the  things  which  he  has  made  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world ;  but  mercy,  in  which  we 
can  have  any  hope,  is  seen  only  in  the  cross.  It  is 
only  by  this  shedding  of  blood,  that  we  can  receive 
remission  of  our  sins,  and  justification  in  the  sight  of 
God.  In  the  cross  of  Christ,  mercy  and  truth  have 
met  together;  righteousness  and  peace  have  kissed 
each  other.  In  this  we  may  rather  glory,  than  be 
ashamed  of  it;  for,  justice  is  satisfied,  it  is  rendered 
more  awful  by  the  punishment  of  sin,  and  mercy 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME.  309 

more  amiable  by  the  salvation  of  the  sinner.  The 
Jews,  who  stumbled  at  the  cross  of  Christ,  acquiesced 
in  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats.  When  men  make 
an  oflering  to  the  Almighty,  nothing  more  could  be 
expected ;  and  when  our  King  stands  at  the  altar, 
why  should  we  be  ashamed  of  a  royal  sacrifice? 
Here  is  rather  our  ground  of  joy  and  rejoicing;  and 
we  Will  say  with  the  Apostle,  *'  God  forbid,  that  I 
shoiml  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

3dly.  We  need  not  be  ashamed  of  the  Gospel  of 
our  Saviour,  for  he  has  declared  himself  to  be  the 
Son  of  God.  So  much  was  the  world  deceived  by 
their  vain  notions  of  dignity  and  power,  that  they  suf- 
fered the  glories  of  the  Son  of  God  to  be  concealed 
by  the  veil  of  flesh,  which  he  condescended  to  put 
on.  Accustomed  to  judge  according  to  the  ideas 
that  are  familiar  to  them,  they  could  not  conceive 
it  consistent  with  the  majesty  of  God,  that  his  em- 
bassador should  appear  in  the  fashion  of  a  man, 
and  even  put  on  the  form  of  a  servant.  Similar  to 
this  spirit,  was  that  of  Naaman  the  Syrian,  when  he 
applied  to  Elijah  to  be  cured  of  tiie  leprosy.  The 
Prophet  directed,  that  he  should  wash  seven  times  in 
the  river  Jordan,  and  he  should  be  clean.  The  haugh- 
ty Syrian,  in  the  greatness  of  his  wisdom,  rejected  the 
easy  cure,  and  disdained  the  Prophet.  "  I  thought, 
surely,''  said  he,  "  he  will  come  out  to  me,  and  call 
on  the  name  of  God,  and  stretch  his  hand  over  the 
leper,  that  he  might  be  healed.'^  He,  therefore,  turn- 
ed away  in  his  wrath.  But,  his  servants  expostula- 
ting the  case  with  him,  said ;  "  my  father,  if  he  should 
tell  thee  do  some  great  things  w^ouldest  thou  not  do 


310  THE  GOSPEL  \0  CAUSE  FOR  SHAME. 

it?  How  much  more,  when  it  is  only,  Wash  and 
be  clean."  When,  therefore,  he  was  prevailed  on  to 
try  the  experiment,  wliich  he  so  much  despised,  he 
was  cured  of  his  leprosy.  Similar  to  this,  are  the 
scutiments  of  those  who  object  against  the  Gospel, 
on  account  of  the  humanity  of  our  Saviour,  and  the 
simplicity  of  his  doctrines.  But,  if  we  would  judge 
rightly,  the  more  plain  and  easy  is  the  plan  of  sal- 
vation, and  by  how  much  more  unlikely  the  means, 
so  much  the  more  visible  is  the  power  of  God.  The 
waters  of  Jordan  had  no  special,  natural  virtue,  to 
heal  diseases,  nor  was  there  any  inherent  virtue  in 
the  rod  of  Moses  to  divide  the  sea :  but  at  the  ap- 
pointment of  God,  the  waters  of  Jordan  were  made 
clTectual,  and  the  sea  fled  back  at  the  touch  of 
Moses's  rod.  Surely,  when  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  confound  the  things  that  are  mighty,  it  is  the 
more  evident,  that  the  power  is  of  God,  and  not  of 
man.  Thus,  the  works  which  Jesus  did,  testify  of 
him,  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  though  clothed  in 
the  weakness  of  human  flesh. 


EVIL  SOCIETY.  311 

EVIL  SOCIETY. 

'^  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the,  counsel 
of  the  ungodly,  nor  standeth  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
nor  sitteth  in  the  seat  of  the  scornfuL^^ 

1st  Psalm,  1st  verse. 

The  general  tendency  of  this  Psalm,  is  to  describe 
the  character,  and  declare  the  blessedness  of  the 
religious  man  ;  with  which  is  contrasted  the  misery 
of  the  wicked,  both  here  and  hereafter.  The  gra- 
dation by  which  the  royal  Psalmist  has  risen  in 
his  description,  in  the  verse  which  contains  our  text, 
denotes  the  progressive  steps  by  which  men  attain  to 
the  utmost  pitch  of  wickedness  that  they  are  capa- 
ble of  in  this  world. 

And,  whereas  the  text  says,  "Blessed  is  the  man 
who  walketh  not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly." 
We  observe  the  most  positive  meaning  in  these 
negative  terms.  The  unhappy  lot  of  the  contemp- 
tuous sinners  seems  more  emphatically  declared, 
than  if  all  the  terrors  of  the  law  had  been  directly 
denounced.  If  he  may  be  called  blessed,  who  walk- 
eth not  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  what  must  be 
his  portion  that  deviseth  mischief  ?  If  the  very  com- 
pany of  sinners  be  so  infectious,  how  great  must  be 
their  pollution,  and  how  odious  their  character  ?  If  a 
man  cannot,  with  impunity,  associate  himself  with 
such,  how  dreadful  must  be  their  condemnation,  who, 
in  addition  to  their  own  immediate  crimes,  have  also 
the  blood  of  others  on  their  Iieads  ? 


812  EVIL  SOCIETY. 

That  this  sentiment  may  not  be  reckoned  invidi- 
ous, and  that  whatis  to  follow  ma.v  be  guarded  against 
misconstruction,  I  would  observe,  here,  that  by  the 
society  of  wicked  men,  1  mean  not  a  kind  and  friendly 
communication  with  them,  a  courteous  demeanor 
towards  them^,  or  a  respectful  attention  to  them^ 
which  is  all  necessary  and  proper ;  but,  only  such  a 
connection  as  immediately  implies,  or  is  necessarily 
attended  with  a  fellowship  in  their  crimes.  Having 
premised  this,  I  proceed  to  a  further  consideration 
of  the  subject. 

The  clue  which  the  Psalmist  affords,  leads  us  di- 
rectly to  consider,  in  the  first  place,  the  various 
steps  by  which  men  ascend  to  eminence,  or  more 
properly  speaking,  sink  to  infamy  in  vice.     And, 

2dly.  The  danger  with  which  the  company  of 
such  is  attended.  These  two  considerations  will  oc- 
cupy the  present  discourse.  To  each  of  these,  I 
Avill  speak  a  little  in  order,  and  then  conclude  with 
some  short  improvement. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  the  various  steps  by  which 
men  advance  to  a  confirmed,  and  almost  hopeless 
state  of  wickedness,  are  designated  in  the  text,  not 
only  in  their  most  natural  order,  but  in  the  most 
striking  manner  of  expression.  The  wicked  man  is 
introduced  in  the  beginning  of  his  career  and  pur- 
sued to  the  end  of  it.  First,  he  *•  walketh  in  the 
counsels  of  the  ungodly."  He  yields  to  their  soli- 
citations, and  for  want  of  reflection  advances  in  their 
way.  We  are  then  led  to  behold  him  standing  in 
the  way  of  sinners.  He  not  only  doth  not  forsake 
their  company,  but  seemeth  deliberately  to  choose ; 
or,  perhaps  from  his  posture,  to  be  watching  for  it. 


EVIL  SOCIETY.  313 

At  last  we  find  him  seated  in  the  scorner's  chair ; 
not  only  in  the  highest  possible  degree  of  guilt,  but 
with  a  determined  resolution  to  keep  possession. 
So  easy  and  so  sudden  is  preferment  in  vice  ! 

It  is  a  common  observation,  and  one  that  is  gene- 
rally admitted,  that  no  man  becomes  very  wicked  all 
at  once.  Together  with  the  native  deformity  of  vice, 
the  force  of  early  education,  and  the  Universal  autho- 
rity of  conscience,  there  are  many  bairriers  which  must 
be  broken  through,  before  he  can  enter  fully  into  the 
practice  of  iniquity,  and  make  great  proficiency  in  it. 
We  may  add  to  this,  that  the  world  at  large  seemeth 
to  agree  with  the  voice  of  reason  and  revelation,  in 
condemning  a  wicked  and  abandoned  character. 
As  long  as  tlie  influence  of  these  remains,  the  efi'ect 
is  a  comparatively  regular  and  harmless  life.  1  do 
not  say,  tliat  any,  or  all  of  these  considerations  to- 
gether, will  be  sufficient  to  produce  a  love  of  virtue ; 
but,  they  will  certainly  avail  to  prevent  any  great 
deviation  from  it  in  practice.  If  they  do  not  render 
true  religion  amiable,  at  least  they  spread  an  awful 
glory  round  it.  They  impress  such  a  sense  of  its 
majesty  and  excellence,  as  makes  the  young  prac- 
titioner of  vice  to  stand  in  awe,  extorts  his  respect 
at  least,  and  we  would  think,  should  forever  defend 
it  against  contempt  and  scorn,  the  very  last  degree 
of  human  guilt.  But,  thougli  men  enter  cautiously 
on  a  course  of  sin,  they  seldom  stop  short  of  the 
scorner's  chair.  A  wretched  station  this,  which  none 
but  men  can  fill !  The  J3evils  believe,  and  tremble ; 
profligate  men  believe  and  sneer. 

Wherever  this  takes  place,  however,  it  is  never 
at  the  entrance,  but  always  at  the  conclusion  of  a 

40 


314  EVIL  SOCIETY. 

wicked  course.  The  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  and 
the  solicitations  of  greater  proficients,  prepare  the 
way.  These  draw  the  young  and  unwary,  insensi- 
bly into  the  snare,  which  they  have  laid  for  youth- 
ful virtue.  They  insinuate  themselves  into  their  fa- 
vour and  confidence  ;  they  expatiate  on  the  pleasures 
of  sin,  and  have  already  learned  to  rail  every  reli- 
gious scruple  a'childish  weakness.  All  these  things 
co-operating  with  the  inherent  corruption  with  which 
human  nature  is  imbued,  too  often  prove  a  poAverful 
temptation,  and  engage  the  unpractised  youth  to  lis- 
ten to  the  counsel  of  ungodly  men,  and  to  walk  in  it. 

This  first  step  being  taken,  necessity  impels  him 
to  advance.  When  innocence  is  gone,  conscious 
shame  takes  place.  He  shuns  the  company  of  his 
sober  friends  whom  he  has  deserted.  He  fears  an 
interview,  because  he  deserves  rebuke.  He  stands 
aloof  from  those  by  whose  remonstrances  and  entrea- 
ties he  might  be  reclaimed,  while  his  conscience  was 
yet  tender  and  his  lieart  susceptible  of  good  impres- 
sions. He  adheres  to  his  new  companions,  as  the 
only  refuge  from  the  consciousness  of  guilt,  and  the 
uneasiness  of  remorse.  Timid  and  cautious  at  first, 
it  now  becomes  his  interest  to  give  a  loose  to  licen- 
tiousness, in  mirth  and  wine ;  to  stand  in  the  way 
of  sinners,  that  their  company  and  counsels  may 
bear  him  up  against  the  rebukes  of  conscience,  and 
divert  the  gloomy  reflections  of  a  wounded  mind. 

But,  not  to  dwell  longer  on  these  intermediate 
steps,  experience  has  shown,  that  the  sad  propensity 
to  vice  becomes  strengthened  and  confirmed  by  in- 
dulgence in  a  profligate  course  of  life.  It  is  a  great 
unhappiucss,  that,  while  guilt  is  increased,  the  heart 


EVIL  SOCIETY.  315 

is  hai'dened.  The  conscience  becomes  seared,  and 
leaves  us  at  liberty  to  persevere  in  a  course  of  sin  Avith- 
out  remorse  or  controul.  The  transition  now  is  short 
and  easy.  Free  from  those  restraints  which  religion 
imposes ;  free  from  those  qualms  of  conscience,  and 
those  little  religious  scruples  which  restrain  the  li- 
berty and  destroy  the  peace  of  weak  and  timid 
minds,  with  all  the  unfeeling  majesty  of  triumphant 
guilt,  we  take  possession  of  the  scorner's  chain  We 
laugh  in  our  turn,  at  those  doughty  fears  which  once 
appalled  us,  and  keep  the  vulgar  multitude  in  awe. 
We  make  a  mock  of  sin.  We  bestow  upon  the  Bi- 
ble all  the  sprightly  epithets,  which  malice  has  in- 
vented, and  ignorance  proclaimed.  We  despise  the 
ordinances  of  the  Gospel ;  we  ridicule  those  that  at- 
tend them,  and  call  them  mighty  good.  With  ma- 
lignant wonder,  we  behold,  and  with  sullen  pride, 
disdain,  the  weakness  of  our  fathers  and  religious 
friends,  who  make  a  conscience  of  their  duty  to  God 
and  have  a  reverence  for  religion.  We  could  wish 
them  more  polite  accomplishments  ;  that  they  were  a 
little  acquainted  with  the  world,  and  were  more  agree- 
able companions.  And,  with  respect  to  all  others, 
with  whom  we  are  happily  not  connected,  we  call 
them  fools,  fanatics,  hypocrites ;  or,  if  we  would  re- 
proach them  still  more,  we  call  them  Saints.  If  in- 
stances of  this  were  wanting,  what  has  been  said 
might  be  considered  as  a  fictitious  rant.  But,  alas  ! 
allowing  for  what  maybe  inaccurate  ill  the  picture, 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  original  from  whence  it 
is  drawn.  Attend  to  the  conversation  of  such  as 
call  themselves  men  of  the  world,  upon  this  subject, 
and,  what  is  it  else  ?  If  religion  be  indeed  a  weak- 


316  EVIL  SOCIETY. 

ness,  we  certainly  live  in  an  age  of  no  little  refiue- 
ment. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  religion  be  not  a  weak- 
ness ;  but  the  glory  and  ornament  of  man;  and  of 
that  vast  importance  to  our  future  welfare,  of  which 
we  are  told  it  is,  then,  to  be  sure,  the  conduct  of 
such  must  be  reprehensible  in  itself,  and  destructive 
in  its  consequences.  Their  example  is  unworthy 
of  imitation;  nor  is  their  company  safe.  This  is 
what  I  proposed  to  consider,  under  the  second  head 
of  discourse. 

The  proposition  is,  that  the  wicked  courses  of 
ungodly  men  are  not  only  fatal  to  themselves,  but 
very  pernicious  to  others,  who,  in  the  language  of 
the  text,  stand  in  their  way.  This  will  appear 
from  two  considerations  :  First,  the  immediate  influ- 
ence of  their  example ;  and,  secondly,  the  various 
advantages  for  a  religious  life,  of  which  their  fellow- 
ship deprives  us. 

Mankind,  in  general,  are  exceedingly  prone  to 
imitation.  There  is  a  contagion  in  example,  with 
which  we  become  infected,  crc  we  are  aware. — 
Universal  experience  and  observation  have  confirm- 
ed this  truth,  that  by  degrees  we  insensibly  imbibe 
the  principles,  and  are  assimilated  to  the  manners 
of  those  with  whom  we  associate. 

The  irreligious  lives  of  wicked  men  are  too  con- 
sonant to  the  inherent  depravity  of  human  nature, 
not  to  prove  a  very  alluring  bait.  And,  though  the 
habits  of  a  virtuous  education,  like  habits  of  every 
kind,  are  strong ;  yet,  they  are  not  an  impregnable 
fortress,  unless  they  are  confirmed  by  a  renovation 
of  the  heart.     They  yield  to  the  solicitations  of 


EVIL  SOCIETY.  317 

guilt,  and  fall  an  easy  prey  to  the  power  of  tempta- 
tions. Let  us  suppose  a  youth,  then,  just  dismissed 
from  the  care  of  pious  parents,  and  entering  on  the 
theatre  of  life,  to  act  his  part.  On  the  very  stating 
of  this  case,  we  feel  ourselves  interested  in  his  wel- 
fare, and  apprehensive,  particularly  on  account  of 
his  virtue.  We  are  very  sensible  of  the  great  jeo- 
pardy in  which  it  stands,  from  an  ensnaring  world ; 
and  secretly  wish,  that  God  would  be  pleased  to 
preserve  him  from  tlie  society  and  stratagems  of 
wicked  men.  If,  as  I  have  stated,  the  parents  of 
the  youth  have  true  religion,  or  a  reverence  for  it, 
the  father  or  mother  will  hold  to  him,  at  parting, 
in  substance,  the  following  discourse:  "My  son, 
you  are  now  about  to  leave  us,  and  act  for  yourself. 
We  doubt  not,  but  that  by  industry  and  prudence 
in  your  calling,  you  will  make  a  livelihood.  But, 
we  shall  be  particularly  glad  to  hear  that  you  be- 
have well.  Be  religions,  ray  son,  and  God  will 
bless  you.  Keep  company  with  religious  people ; 
they  will  prove  your  truest  friends ;  they  will  as- 
sist you  with  their  advice,  and  they  will  have  a  ten- 
der care  of  your  morals.  But,  O  !  beware  of  wick- 
ed company.  They  w  ill  endeavour  to  draw  yoii  in ; 
and,  if  you  join  with  them,  they  will  certainly  work 
your  ruin.  If  you  would  be  a  comfort  to  your  parents 
in  their  old  age,  and  to  all  your  religious  fiiends,  let 
us  never  hear  that  you  keep  company  with  the  pro- 
fligate and  impious."  This,  or  language  like  it, 
will  be  their  last  affectionate  charge  to  their  beloved 
child.  Such,  also,  was  the  wholesome  counsel  of 
the  wise  man :  "  My  son,  if  sinners  entice  thee,  con- 
sent thou  not." 


318  EVIL  SOCIETY. 

Let  US  now  add  to  the  immediate  influence  of  bad 
examples,  the  loss  to  be  sustained  by  associating 
with  wicked  men,  as  to  opportunities  of  improve- 
ment in  religion.  There  is  something  in  the  rea- 
sonableness of  religion,  which  teaches  us  to  adore 
our  Maker  and  love  our  benefactor;  and,  more  es- 
pecially, in  its  necessary  connection  both  with  our 
present  and  our  future  peace,  which  sliould  entitle 
it  to  the  respect,  and  recommend  it  to  the  choice  of 
every  reflecting  mind.  To  aid  ns  in  the  attainment 
of  this  religion,  or  in  progress  in  it,  several  direc- 
tions arc  given  us  in  Scripture,  which  are  intended, 
amongst  other  things,  for  the  rule  of  life.  Two  of 
them  will  be  suflicient  for  my  present  purpose,  and, 
therefore,  I  shall  not  mention  more  :  One  of  them 
is  secret  retirement,  and  the  other  is  the  company 
of  godly  men.  Wq  are  directed  to  commune  with 
our  own  hearts  ;  and  the  Psalmist,  to  secure  and 
crown  his  religious  attainments,  concludes  his  reso- 
lution in  these  words:  "I  am  a  companion  of  all 
them  that  fear  thee,  and  of  them  that  keep  thy  law.'' 
And,  great  are  the  advantages  of  such  associations. 
They  assist,  encourage,  and  support  one  another. 
They  bear  each  other's  burdens,  assist  their  good 
resolutions,  relieve  their  doubts,  encourage  their 
hopes,  dissipate  their  fears ;  they  assist  the  weak, 
and  cheer  the  disconsolate.  Now,  these  are  great 
and  special  advantages,  of  Avhich  the  society  of 
wicked  men  effectually  deprives  us.  If  we  go  with 
them,  we  have  no  time,  and  but  little  inclination  for 
serious  reflection.  We  must  give  up  the  means  of 
grace  for  those  of  sensual  gratifications.  We  must 
employ  our  time  and  talents  to  the  service  of  sin, 


THE  RESURRECTION.  319 

instead  of  the  service  of  God.  We  hear  nothing 
that  savours  of  religion,  from  the  scorner's  chair. 
If  it  be  mentioned,  it  is  only  in  contempt  or  ridicule. 
If  we  walk  in  the  counsel  of  the  ungodly,  we  hear 
no  good  advice  :  if  we  stand  in  the  way  of  sinners, 
evil  overtakes  us  ;  and,  the  seat  of  the  scornful  is 
the  station  of  death. 


THE  RESURRECTION. 

*^And  God  hath  both  raised  up  the  Lord,  andivill 
raise  up  us,  also,  by  his  own  jJoiverJ' 

1st  Corinthians,  6th  chap.  14lh  verse. 

Although  it  is  sufficiently  evident,  that  man,  as 
a  rational  creature,  will  also  be  accountable  for  his 
actions,  and  there  is  something  implanted  within  him, 
which  shrinks  back  with  horror  at  the  thoughts  of  a 
dissolution,  which  painfully  forebodes  a  future  judg- 
ment, and  intimates  an  eternity  to  come ;  yet,  the 
consideration  of  the  mortality  of  man,  the  separation 
of  his  soul  and  body,  and  the  dissolution  of  the  lat- 
ter into  dust  and  ashes,  have  occasioned  some  objec- 
tions against  the  doctrine  of  Immortality ;  since,  ac- 
cording to  the  present  state  of  things,  it  must  depend 
upon  the  Resurrection  of  the  body.  The  Immortality 


320  THE  RESURHECTION. 

of  the  soul,  indeed,  is  not  aflfected  even  by  death ;  for, 
as  far  as  we  can  see,  it  docs  not  deprive  it  of  any  of 
the  properties  of  an  immaterial,  thinking  substance. 
But,  a  very  material  alteration  takes  place  in  the 
body ;  and  the  Resurrection  of  it  from  the  grave  after 
being  dissolved  into  dust,  does  not,  indeed,  appear 
to  be  evident,  upon  the  bare  light  of  reason  or  na- 
ture ;  for,  we  do  not  see  in  nature  any  such  simili- 
tude as  dust  and  ashes  rising  into  life.  This  difficul- 
ty has  given  occasion  to  many  curious  speculations, 
as  to  what  is  the  man.  They  who  would  support 
the  doctrine  of  Immortality  and  a  future  judgment, 
from  the  original  intimations  of  nature  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  from  what  passes  in  our  own  breast ;  in  or- 
der to  get  over  the  difficulties  which  the  dissolution 
of  the  body  throws  in  their  way,  have  endeavoured 
to  prove  that  the  soul  only  is  tlie  man.  They  allow, 
that  human  nature  is  composed  of  soul  and  body ; 
that  this  soul  is  of  two  kinds,  sensitive  and  rational ; 
and  contend  that  tlie  latter  only  survives  the  common 
wreck  of  nature,  and  lives  beyond  the  grave.  But, 
though  their  apprehensions  of  futurity  be  founded 
in  nature,  so  much  1  think  cannot  be  said  for  the 
manner  in  which  they  attempt  to  support  them,  by 
endeavouring  to  rid  their  doctrine  of  the  difficulties 
which  death  occasions,  in  which  nature's  most  san- 
guine hopes  arc  blasted  ;  for,  it  does  not  seem  a  very 
reasonable  and  satisfactory  conclusion,  that  simple 
thought  should  make  tlie  individual,  in  a  future 
state,  which  in  this  is  composed  of  body,  sensation 
and  thought.  Others  again,  because  the  Resurrec- 
tion of  tlie  body  cannot  be  ascertained  by  clear  and 
undeniable  intimations  of  nature,  as  they  suppose, 


THE  RESURRECTION.  321 

and  which  I  am  willing  to  allow  to  be  the  case,  have 
denied  that  there  is  any  hereafter,  and  disbelieve 
the  assurances  that  are  given  us  in  Scripture,  of  the 
resurrection  of  the  body ;  because,  they  contend, 
that  it  contradicts  the  original  law  of  our  nature. 
We  shall  consider,  presently,  the  force  of  this  argu- 
ment. The  truth  is,  the  original  and  universal  voice 
of  nature  is,  that  man  is  designed  to  be  immor- 
tal, though  nature  cannot  get  over  the  difficulties 
that  are  occasioned  by  the  dissolution  of  the  body, 
nor  tell  how  to  preserve,  for  a  future  state,  those 
very  individuals  which  we  see  evidently  destroyed 
by  death.  The  question,  then,  is,  are  not  the  Scrip- 
tures founded  upon  the  original  law  of  our  nature  ; 
or,  can  we  suppose  that  the  all- wise  Creator  made 
nature  at  first  imperfect,  and  found  it  necessary,  up- 
on experience,  to  amend  his  plan?  There  is  no 
doubt,  that  all  things  came  perfect  from  the  hand  of 
God ;  and  the  obscurity  of  the  light  of  nature  must 
be  attributed  to  another  cause.  This  cause  is  death  ; 
andj  as  death  is  certainly  a  breacli  upon  the  state  of 
nature,  it  is  no  wonder  it  should  be  a  difficulty  in 
the  religion  of  nature;  for,  the  religion  of  nature 
was  most  certainly  adapted  to  the  original  state  of 
nature. 

The  wise  man  tells  us,  "That  God  made  not 
death  :  for,  he  created  all  things  that  tliey  might 
have  their  being,  and  the  generations  of  the  world 
were  healthful,  and  there  is  no  poison  of  destruc- 
tion in  them,  nor  the  kingdom  of  death  upon  earth: 
for,  righteousness  is  immortal ;  but,  ungodly  men 
with  their  works  and  words  call  it  unto  them." 
If,  then,  immortality  were  the  condition  of  the  crea- 

41 


822  THE  RESURRECTION. 

tion,  and  death  came  in  as  a  surprise  upon  nature, 
it  is  no  wonder  if  slie  stands  silent  and  astonished 
at  the  fatal  change,  and  seems  neither  willing  to 
part  with  her  hopes  of  immortality,  nor  yet  quite 
able  to  support  them.  Thus,  it  is  evident,  that  the 
coming  in  of  death  obscured  the  original  light  of  na- 
ture, and  made  a  revelation  necessary  to  supply  the 
defects  of  nature  ;  and  with  great  propriety,  indeed, 
may  it  be  said,  that  life  and  immortality  have  been 
brought  to  light  by  the  Gospel.  So  far,  then,  is  this 
from  being  an  argument  against  revelation,  that  every 
candid  person  must  allow  it  to  be  an  argument  in 
its  favour ;  and,  instead  of  cavilling  against  it,  we 
should  rather  adore  the  goodness  of  God  in  giving 
us  a  sure  and  lively  hope  that  we  shall  never  die. 

There  is  nothing  better  calculated  to  support  the 
spirit,  under  all  the  trying  vicissitudes  of  human 
life,  and  defend  us  against  the  natural  fears  of  death, 
than  the  blessed  hope  that  is  given  us  in  the  text  of 
a  resurrection  from  the  grave.  Death,  in  itself,  is 
a  great  enemy  to  human  nature,  in  as  much  as  it 
puts  an  end  to  all  our  enjoyments,  and  dissolves 
that  tender  and  intimate  connexion  that  subsists  be- 
tween the  soul  and  body,  the  nearest  and  the  best 
of  friends.  There  is  implanted  in  the  heart  of  man, 
a  natural  desire  of  happiness :  and  if,  after  a  few 
years,  a  final  end  was  to  be  put  to  our  existence, 
and  we  were  to  sink  into  our  primeval  nothing,  it 
would  cast  a  melancholy  gloom  on  our  most  pleasing 
prospects  :  the  apprehensions  of  a  dissolution  would 
mar  all  our  enjoyments ;  and,  through  the  fear  of 
death,  we  should,  indeed,  be  all  our  life  subject  to 
bondage.     But,  blessed  be  God  !  he  has  given  our 


THE  RESURRECTION.  323 

souls  a  lively  hope,  that  they  shall  never  die ;  and, 
though  our  bodies  be  consigned  to  the  dust,  we  have 
yet  the  fullest  assurance  that  they,  also,  shall  rise 
again  :  "  For,''  says  the  text,  ^^  God  hath  both  rais- 
ed up  the  Lord,  and  will  raise  up  us,  also,  by  his 
own  power." 

In  the  further  prosecution  of  these  words,  I  shall 
consider  a  little  more  fully,  these  two  propositions 
in  order  to  shew  : 

1st.  That  God  hath  actually  raised  up  the  Lord, 
2dly.  In  consequence  of  this,  that  he  will  raise  up 
us,  also. 

In  the  first  place,  then,  we  are  to  consider  the 
resurrection  of  our  blessed  Lord.  As  this  is  a  great 
and  important  event  on  which  the  Christian's  hope 
relies,  (for,  if  Christ  be  not  risen,  his  hope  is  vain,) 
so  it  is  an  event  which,  to  the  wicked,  is  big  with 
terror  and  dismay.  The  interests  of  the  two  are 
widely  different ;  the  hopes  of  the  one  are  support- 
ed, and  the  hopes  of  the  other  are  totally  blasted, 
by  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  Accordingly,  the 
enemies  of  religion  have  summoned  up  all  their 
malice  to  confute  the  arguments  and  proofs  that  are 
to  be  produced  in  its  support :  but,  being  driven 
from  this  resource,  they  have  taken  shelter  in  the 
most  unpardonable  obstinacy,  and  shut  their  eyes 
against  the  clearest  light  of  reason  and  revelation. 
They  pretend  to  despise  the  arguments  whit  h  they 
cannot  refute,  and  unreasonably  contend,  that  the  re- 
surrection of  the  dead  is  a  thing  in  itself  impossible; 
and,  therefore,  that  no  arguments  in  its  favour,  however 
plausible,  deserve  any  serious  consideration.  They 
endeavour  to  repel  the  truth,  by  refusing  to  see  it, 


324  THE   IIESUKKECTION. 

lest  it  should  disturb  their  dangerous  security,  and 
are  just  like  little  childreu,  who  shut  their  eyes  lest 
you  should  see  them. 

It  would  be  an  endless  task  to  examine  all  the  ar- 
guments, that  are  to  be  found  on  this  important  sub- 
ject. A  few  of  the  most  direct  proofs,  drawn  from 
the  word  of  God,  1  suppose  would  be  sufficient  for  my 
present  purpose;  but,  as  infidelity  has  now  become 
a  fashionable  vice,  and  many  of  our  youth,  especi- 
ally, are  so  unhappy  as  to  esteem  it  a  mark  of  po- 
liteness and  refined  wit  to  cavil  against  the  Scrip- 
tures and  dispute  their  truth,  I  shall  first  beg  leave^ 
for  a  moment,  to  enter  the  lists  with  such,  upon  their 
own  ground,  and  try  if  it  will  not  appear,  from  rea- 
son itself,  of  which  they  boast  so  much,  indepen- 
dently of  revelation,  that  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  however  extraordinary,  is  a  thing  in  itself  by 
uo  means  impossible. 

If,  then,  we  attend  to  the  voice  of  reason  only,  we 
must  acknowledge,  that  before  we  pronounce  pe- 
remptorily on  the  possibility  or  impossibility  of  any 
thing  whatever,  we  are  to  take  into  consideration, 
not  only  the  difficulty  of  the  thing  itself,  but  the  pow- 
er of  him  whom  we  expect  to  accomplish  it.  The 
resurrection  of  the  dead,  it  must  be  granted,  is  a 
great  and  extraordinary  act  of  power.  When  the 
breath  is  once  departed,  not  all  the  charms  of  medi- 
cine, nor  strength  of  man,  are  able  to  restore  it. 
Noah  and  Abraham,  and  all  the  ancient  Patriarchs, 
have  long  mouldered  in  the  dust,  and  are  still  the 
prisoners  of  the  grave;  and,  should  we  endeavour 
to  restore  a  dead  man  to  life,  we,  indeed,  should 
judge  but  weakly  of  the  extent  of  our  abilities. 


THE  KESURRECTION.  325 

With  man,  indeed ;  weak,  feeble  man,  this  is  im- 
possible ;  but,  with  God,  all  things  are  possible  ;  for, 
surely  we  are  not  to  scan  the  power  of  Omnipotence 
by  our  own  weakness  and  infirmity.  Herein  do  we 
err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures  and  the  power  of 
God  :  for,  that  Almighty  voice  which  once  sounded 
into  the  dark  caverns  of  the  grave,  and  said,  '^  Laza- 
rus, come  forth,"  need  only  say,  the  dead  man  sleep- 
eth,  and  awake  him  from  his  slumbers. 

They  who  would  thus  restrict  the  power  of  God, 
would  make  him  to  be  altogether  such  an  one,  as 
themselves.  And,  as  well  might  children  say,  it 
is  impossible  for  man  to  raise  a  house,  because  their 
own  strength  is  unequal  to  the  task,  as  for  men  to 
pronounce  it  impossible  for  God  to  raise  the  temple 
of  our  Saviour's  body,  because  it  surpasses  the  ut- 
most stretch  of  their  abilities. 

But,  to  come  nearer  to  the  point :  Let  those  who 
thus  dispute  the  power  of  God,  or  rather  measure 
by  their  own,  for  once  make  trial  of  their  strength  in 
the  works  of  a  creation^  Let  them  stretch  out  new 
Heavens  as  a  curtain  ;  let  them  make  the  clouds 
their  chariot  and  ride  upon  the  stormy  winds  ;  let 
them  lay  foundations  for  their  earth,  and  appoint  a 
place  in  its  bosom  for  the  deep  ;  then  let  them  sum- 
mon up  their  magazines  of  fire  and  storm,  to  form 
the  artillery  of  their  skies.  Does  their  strength  fail 
them  for  this  ?  And,  are  not  these  the  works  of 
God,  and  marvellous  in  our  eyes  ?  These  are  not 
matters  of  empty  speculation  ;  they  are  notorious 
facts  which  all  nature  proclaims  aloud.  The  un- 
wearied sun  from  day  to  day,  shews  that  the  hand 
which  made  him  is  Divine,  and  publishes  his  Ma- 


826  THE  RESURKECTION. 

kers  praise  through  every  land,  in  a  language  which 
every  nation,  tongue  and  kindred  understand.  And, 
should  he  see  proper  again  to  destroy  these  works 
of  his  creation,  might  we  not  say,  with  equal  pro- 
priety, that  that  Almighty  power  which  only  spake 
and  it  was  done,  which  but  commanded  and  it  stood 
fast,  was  not  able  to  repair  their  ruins  ?  And,  do  not 
men  argue  with  as  little  reason,  when  they  daringly 
set  bounds  to  Omnipotence  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  and  pronounce  it  impossible  for  (rod  to  effect? 

Once  more :  All  men,  (a  few  excepted  who  are  cal- 
led Atheists,  and  w  horn  it  is  not  my  province  at  pre- 
sent to  consider,)  allow  themselves  to  be  the  work 
of  God.  And,  is  not  this,  if  properly  considered,  a 
sutHcient  acknowledgment  that  he  has  power  to 
raise  the  dead?  For,  surely  it  does  not  require  a 
greater  exertion  of  power  to  make  a  dead  body  live 
again,  than  it  required  at  first  to  fashion  it  out  of 
clay,  and  breathe  into  it  the  breath  of  life. 

Having  thus  endeavoured  to  remove  this  objec- 
iion  of  the  impossibility  of  raising  the  dead,  let  us 
now  see,  if  we  have  not  sufficient  proofs  in  Scripture, 
that  God  hath  actually  raised  up  our  Lord. 

The  death  of  our  Saviour  is  the  first  thing  in 
point  of  order,  which  I  should  have  to  prove  ;  but, 
this  men  are  ever  ready  enough  to  allow.  But,  did 
they  deny  it,  we  could  produce  a  cloud  of  witnes- 
ses who  were  spectators  of  the  horrid  scene,  when 
he  hung  upon  the  tree;  who  saw  him  bow  his  sa- 
cred head,  when  he  cried,  "  It  is  finished,''  and  gave 
up  the  ghost.  Die,  then,  he  certainly  did  ;  but,  he 
rose  again.  ,  He  died  that  we  might  live,  and  rose 
again  to  bring  back  the  pardon  which  he  purchased 


THE  RESURRECTION.  327 

with  his  blood.  The  ascension  of  our  Lord  from 
the  grave,  comes  now  to  be  a  matter  of  fact ;  for, 
we  can  produce  enough  of  witnesses  who  saw  him, 
conversed  with  him,  and  handled  him  after  he  had 
risen.  God  so  ordered  it  in  wisdom,  that  he  was 
put  in  a  new  sepulchre  in  which  no  man  had  lain, 
that  we  might  have  the  fullest  assurance  that  it  was 
he  who  was  to  save  Israel,  and  not  another ;  and  to 
baffle  the  cunning  and  subtlety  of  his  enemies,  who 
otherwise  would  have  contended,  that  it  was  some 
other  that  was  removed  out  of  the  sepulchre,  and 
not  that  despised  Nazarene,  who  three  days  before 
expired  as  a  malefactor  on  the  accursed  tree.  But, 
there  was  no  other  in  the  tomb  :  it  was  the  same 
Jesus  who  arose,  that  his  followers  might  be  able 
to  give  an  account  of  the  hope  that  is  in  them,  and 
know  assuredly  in  whom  they  trusted.  Now,  for 
the  proof  of  this,  let  us  examine  the  testimony  of 
Mary  Magdalen,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  James 
and  Joses.  When  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who  was 
also  a  disciple  of  Jesus,  had  obtained  his  dead  body 
of  Pilate,  and  brought  it  to  the  sepulchre,  they  were 
sitting  over  against  it  and  saw  the  interment  of  the 
Lord  of  Glory.  And,  in  the  end  of  the  Sabbath, 
towards  the  first  day  of  the  week,  Mary  Magdalen 
and  the  other  Mary  went  to  see  the  tomb,  and  be- 
hold, there  was  a  great  earthquake  ;  "for,  the  Angel 
of  the  Lord  descended  from  Heaven,  and  rolled  away 
the  stone  from  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,  and  sat  upon 
it.  And,  for  fear  of  him,  the  keepers  did  shake  and 
became  as  dead  men.  But,  the  Angel  said  to  the  wo- 
men, fear  not  ye,  fori  know  that  you  seek  Jesus  which 
was  crucified ;  but  he  is  not  here,  for  he  is  risen.'' 


328  THE  RESURRECTION. 

And,  as  tliey  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre, 
with  fear  and  great  joy,  to  tell  it  to  the  disciples,  be- 
hold, Jesus  met  them:  And,  thatthey  might  be  certain 
it  was  not  an  apparition  only,  they  caught  him  by  the 
feet,  and  then  they  worshipped  him.  Next,  he  ap- 
peared to  the  eleven  disciples  on  a  mountain  in  Gali- 
lee, where  he  had  appointed  to  meet  them  before  he 
died  ;  and,  there  they  saw,  and  there  they  worship- 
ped their  living  Lord. 

The  same  testimony  is  also  recorded  in  the  Gos- 
pel according  to  St.  Mark  and  Luke  :  but,  as  1  have 
not  time  to  examine  them  all,  I  shall  only  further 
offer  you  the  testimony  that  is  given  by  John,  which, 
in  some  things,  is  a  little  more  particular.  He  also 
informs  us  of  our  Saviour's  appearing  to  Mary,  as 
he  turned  from  the  sepulchre,  and  afterwards  to 
the  disciples.  It  seems  they  did  not,  as  yet,  fully 
understand  the  Scriptures,  about  his  rising  again. 
They,  therefore,  knew  not  how  to  believe  so  extra- 
ordinary an  event,  upon  the  testimony  of  Mary, 
who  first  was  favoured  with  the  vision  of  her  Lord. 
Thomas  in  particular  was  hard  of  belief,  and  said, 
"  Unless  I  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails, 
and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe.** 
Here,  then,  we  have  abundant  scope  for  the  full 
proof  of  the  reality  of  his  resurrection ;  and,  he 
who  is  satisfied  in  these  particulars,  surely  cannot 
doubt.  Have  we,  then,  these  proofs  ?  Yes  :  In 
eight  days  afterwards,  Thomas  and  the  rest  of  the 
disciples  were  all  together.  Jesus  came  and  stood 
in  the  midst  of  them,  and  said,  "  Peace  be  unto 
you,"     And,  to   Thomas    he    said  in  particular ; 


THE  RESURRECTION.  329 

•^  Reach  hither  tby  finger  and  behold  my  hands, 
and  reach  hither  thy  hand  and  thrust  it  into  my 
side,  and  be  no  longer  faithless,  but  believing."  The 
incredulous  Thomas  then  was  satisfied ;  his  faith 
was  fully  established,  and  he  answered  and  said, 
'^^  My  Lord  and  my  God." 

Thus,  then,  the  resurrection  of  Christ  appears  to 
be  a  matter  of  fact ;  and,  however  wicked  men  may 
argue  speculatively  against  it,  yet  on  this  rock  we 
may  venture  to  build  our  hopes,  and  the  very  gates 
of  Hell  shall  not  be  able  to  prevail  against  them. 
The  ascension  of  our  Lord  from  the  grave,  is  well 
confirmed  by  the  plainest  testimony. 

When  we  see  a  man  walking  before  us,  when  we 
hear  him  conversing,  and  observe  him  performing 
the  usual  offices  of  life,  we  must  certainly  believe 
the  testimony  of  our  senses,  and  can  no  more  doubX 
whether  he  is  alive  or  not,  than  his  enemies  could 
doubt  whether  he  was  dead  or  not,  when  he  had 
given  up  the  ghost;  and,  we  are  at  no  more  loss  to 
determine  this  point,  than  whether  those  we  see  and 
converse  with  every  day,  are  alive.  As  for  us,  in- 
deed, we  have  not  the  same  kind  of  testimony ;  but 
we  have  it  confirmed  by  the  same  kind  of  evidence 
upon  which  we  know  and  believe  most  things  in  the 
world,  which  come  under  our  direct  knowledge. 
Thomas  had  sufficient  reason  to  believe  our  Lord's 
resurrection  before  he  saw  him  ;  for,  he  had  it  con- 
firmed to  him  by  the  rest  of  his  disciples,  as  well  as 
by  Mary ;  and,  our  Saviour's  reply  to  him  on  that 
occasion,  is  well  worthy  our  most  serious  considera- 
tion.    "  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  Thomas,"  says 

42 


330  THE  RESURRECTION. 

he,  "  thou  believest ;  but,  blessed  are  they  who, 
though  they  have  not  seen,  yet  have  believed." 

Now,  you  will  please  to  lay  all  these  considera- 
tions toj;ether,  and  add  to  them  the  promises  of  God, 
to  give  us  life  ;  his  ability  to  perform  his  word,  and 
the  confirmation  of  our  hopes  by  the  resurrection  of 
our  Lord ;  and  I  see  not,  what  further  is  necessary 
to  make  this  an  article  of  our  rational  belief. 

I  proceed,  now,  to  the  second  thing  which  I  pro- 
posed, which  was  to  shew  you,  in  consequence  of 
this,  that  God  will  raise  up  us,  also,  by  his  own 
power ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  our  hopes  of  a  re- 
surrection are  well  supported  by  the  resurrection  of 
our  Lord. 

Although  the  death  and  sujfferings  of  Christ  were 
a  sufficient  atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and 
his  blood  of  sufficient  efficacy  to  wash  away  the 
deepest  stains,  yet  his  resurrection  was  absolutely 
necessary  to  establish  our  faith,  by  which  only,  his 
sufferings  and  obedience  could  be  imputed  to  us  for 
righteousness.  In  the  time  of  our  Saviour's  abode 
upon  earth,  we  find  it  was  a  dispute  whether  he  was 
Moses  or  Elias,  or  one  of  the  Prophets ;  and,  his 
dying  a  violent  death  by  the  hands  of  men,  after  a 
life  of  the  most  perfect  innocence,  and  teaching  the 
great  duties  of  religion  and  morality,  was  common 
to  him,  with  others  before  him,  from  the  days  of 
righteous  Abel  to  the  Holy  Prophets,  who  were  al- 
so raised  up  to  be  shining  lights  in  the  world.  Yet, 
the  blood  of  Abel  and  the  Prophets,  speaks  not  the 
language  of  peace  and  reconciliation,  but  calls  for 
vengeance  on  an  unrighteous  world.  Had  our  Lord, 
then,  died  like  one  of  them,  and  never  been  heard 


THE  RESURRECTION.  331 

of  any  more,  we  should  not  have  had  whereon  to 
build  our  faith,  nor  have  known  that  he  was  the  true 
Messiah,  who  was  to  save  Israel,  and  to  give  re- 
pentance and  remission  of  sins  :  But,  when,  like  a 
glorious  conqueror,  he  rose  in  triumph  from  the 
grave,  and  declared  peace  and  pardon  to  the  world, 
then  did  we  know  assuredly,  in  whom  we  trusted, 
and  that  he  was  of  a  truth,  the  Son  of  God. 

The  most  incredulous  and  inveterate  of  his  ene- 
mies only  desired,  that  he  would  come  down  from 
the  cross,  and  they  would  believe  him.  It  was 
necessary  for  him  to  die,  that  we  might  live.  This 
was  the  errand  that  brought  him  to  the  earth;  and, 
therefore,  he  did  not  come  down  from  the  cross. 
But,  he  did  what  is  far  more  a  proof  of  his  power ; 
he  rose  from  the  strong  hold  of  the  grave.  "  Thus," 
as  the  Apostle  expresses  it,  "  he  was  delivered  for 
our  oflfences,  and  was  raised  again  for  our  justifica- 
tion." His  resurrection,  then,  though  not  the  effi- 
cient cause  of  our  justification  before  God,  is  yet  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  establish  our  faith,  by  which 
only  we  could  be  justified  in  his  sight.  This  is  the 
sure  sheet-anchor  of  the  soul,  on  which  our  everlast- 
ing happiness  depends :  for,  if  the  Lord  be  not 
risen,  my  preaching  is  vain,  and  your  faith,  also,  is 
vain ;  we  are  yet  in  our  sins.  Unless  he  rose  to 
confirm  the  doctrines  which  he  had  preached,  we 
should  not  have  known  that  he  was  the  Great 
Teacher ;  and  unless  he  returned  to  bring  back  the 
pardon  he  had  purchased  by  his  death,  we  should 
have  had  no  confirmation  that  the  great  atonement 
he  offered  on  the  Cross,  had  been  accepted  of  God. 


332  X  THE  RESURRECTION. 

It  was  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  that  the  Angel 
of  the  Lord  brought  to  the  world,  when  he  proclaim- 
ed, to  the  Sliepherds,  "Unto  you  is  born  this  day, 
in  tlie  city  of  Bethlehem,  a  Saviour,  which  is  Christ 
the  Lord."  And  old  Simeon  rejoiced  when  he  saw 
the  babe  and  clasped  his  salvation  in  his  arms. 
But,  when  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  rage  and  malice  of 
his  enemies,  and  was  put  to  the  most  excruciating 
torments  under  which  he  also  expired,  in  that  doleful 
day  the  hopes  of  men  were  blasted  ;  the  disciples 
were  disconsolate,  and  Mary  wept :  tlieir  hopes  all 
fell  with  their  expiring  Lord,  and  were  buried  with 
him  in  the  tomb.  All  nature  mourned  when  the  God 
of  nature  suffered.  The  Sun,  unable  to  endure  the 
moving  scene,  veiled  his  face  in  midnight  darkness  : 
the  Eartli  did  quake,  and  the  very  rocks  were  rent, 
and  many  bodies  of  the  Saints  who  had  slept  in 
hope,  felt  the  shock  and  rose  from  their  graves, 
as  if  conscious  that  their  everlastiug  happiness  was 
then  in  suspense.  O  !  my  brethren,  had  he  still  re- 
mained a  prisoner  of  the  grave,  we  had  now  been 
hopeless  :  we  might  now  join  in  the  lamentations  of 
Mary,  weeping  for  her  Lord,  and  enquiring  where 
they  had  laid  him.  Instead  of  contemplating  the 
glories  of  his  resurrection,  I  might  this  day  invite 
you  to  the  funeral  of  the  Lord  of  Glory.  But,  let 
me  raise  your  thoughts  to  brighter  objects.  Halle- 
lujah !  Your  Lord  is  risen  ;  he  conquered  when  he 
fell,  and  rose  again  ;  and,  he  rose  not  only  from  the 
grave,  but  ascended  up  to  God  in  triumph,  and  took 
his  seat  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high. 
Many  were  present  when  he  was  taken  up,  and 


THE  RESURRECTION.  333 

gazed  in  raptures  on  their  ascending  Lord,  till  a 
cloud  intercepted  him  from  their  view. 

And,  as  our  Lord  is  risen,  so  shall  we,  also,  rise 
again.     Our  blessed  Saviour,  to  whom  all  power  is 
given,  will  come  again  the  second  time,  to  raise  up 
all  his  Saints.     *'  This  is  the  will,"  says  he,  "  of 
him  that  sent  me,  that  every  one  who  seeth  the  Son 
and  believeth  on  him  may  have  everlasting  life,  and 
I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last  day."     And,  before 
he  was  taken  up,  he  promised,  he  pledged  himself 
to  his  disciples,  that  he  would  come  again  and  re- 
ceive them  to  himself,  that  "  where  he  was,  there 
they  should  be  also."     Supported  by  this  hope,  the 
Apostle  Paul  was  made  superior  to  the  fear  of  death, 
and  was  willing  to  endure  affliction  for  the  sake  of 
Christ,' having  respect,  withal,  to  the  recompense  of 
reward  which  God,  who  cannot  lie,  hath  promised. 
In  order  to  prevent  immoderate  sorrow  for  the  dead, 
he  says  in   his  epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  "1 
would  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  concerning 
them  which   are  asleep ;  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even 
as  others,  which  have  no  hope  :  for,  if  you  believe 
that  Christ  died  and  rose  again,  even  so,  them  also 
which  are  asleep  in  Jesus,  will  God  bring  with 
him."     Under  the  prospect  of  a  glorious  resurrec- 
tion, one  might  even  dare  to  die,  looking  forward  to 
the  second  coming  of  our  blessed  Saviour,  knowing, 
that  when  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  come,  we, 
also,  shall  appear  with  him  in  glory:  when  this 
corruptible  body  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this 
mortal  immortality :  when,  also,  shall  be  fulfilled 
that  saying,  "  that  death  is  swallowed  up  of  vic- 
tory." 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

-►»«©•«•- 

A  SERMON 

OCCASIONED  BY  THE  DEATH 

OF  THE 

REV.  JO»»r  D.  BIAIR, 

Delivered  by  the  Rev.  JOHN  BLAIR  HOGE, 
In  the  Presbyterian  Church,  Shockoe-Hill,  Jan.  1823. 

'^  For  I  am  now  ready  to  he  offered^  and  the  time 
of  my  departure  is  at  hand.'' 

II.  Timothy,  4th  chap.  6lh  verse. 

The  venerable  Paul  was  now,  the  second  time, 
a  prisoner  at  Rome.  He  had  already  travelled  far 
in  the  pilgrimage  of  life.  There  was  little  ground 
for  the  hope,  that  he  could  escape  the  unsparing  per- 
secution which,  instigated  by  the  bloody  Nero,  was 
now  raging  against  the  Christian  cause.  Nor  is  it 
unreasonable  to  conjecture,  that  he  had  been  Divine- 
ly admonished,  that  he  should  soon  exchange  a  mor- 
tal, for  an  immortal  life. 

With  this  event  distinctly  in  his  view,  he  sets  down 
to  write  an  affectionate  letter  to  his  beloved  son 
Timothy.     Doubtless,'  he  will  now  pour  out  all  his 


336  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

heart.  If  a  mask  had  heretofore  hidden  from  the 
world  his  true  character,  he  will  now  lay  it  aside, 
and  disclose  his  genuine  feelings.  If  the  ardour  of 
his  mind  had  impelled  him  to  espouse  an  unworthy, 
or  a  doubtful  cause,  the  damps  of  his  prison  will 
now  have  chilled  his  blood  and  frozen  him  into  pru- 
dence ;  and  he  will  endeavour  to  arrest  his  young 
friend  in  a  course  which  had  proved  so  disastrous 
to  himself;  or,  if  embarked  in  a  good  cause,  he  had 
been  transported  by  the  extravagance  of  his  zeal, 
into  dangers  which  it  became  him  to  avoid,  he  will 
erect  his  own  experience  as  a  beacon  for  the  warn- 
ing of  one  whom  he  tenderly  loved.  But,  instead 
of  this,  he  animates  Timothy,  by  the  prospect  of 
his  own  departure,  to  perseverance  and  to  fidelity. 
"  I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God  and  the  Lord 
.Tesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead  at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom  :  Preach  the 
word  ;  be  instant,  in  season,  and  out  of  season  ;  re- 
prove, rebuke,  exhort  with  all  long  suffering  and 
doctrine."  "  But,  watch  thou  in  all  things,  endure 
afflictions,  do  the  work  of  an  Evangelist,  make  full 
proof  of  thy  ministry."  He  does  not  lament  his 
own  hard  fate,  nor  execrate  the  folly  by  which  he 
had  brought  it  on  himself.  Nor,  does  he  sit  down 
in  the  temper  of  a  savage,  resolved  that  his  enemies 
shall  see  no  token  of  yielding  in  his  fierce  and  fiery 
spirit;  but,  blending  together  the  tenderness  and 
the  dignity  of  the  Christian  character,  he  exclaims, 
"  For  1  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time 
of  ray  departure  is  at  hand." 

Ever  since  his  introduction  into  the  world.  Death 
has  been  the  king  of  terrors.     With  instinctive  ap- 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  337 

prehension,  mortals  shrink  from  his  presence  and 
strive  to  evade  his  stroke.  In  their  estimation, 
death  is  so  awful,  that,  for  the  most  part,  they  are 
reluctant  to  contemplate  it,  in  relation  to  themselves* 
When,  in  the  course  of  that  reflection  into  w^hich 
even  the  unthinking  are  sometimes  led,  the  image 
of  death  crosses  the  path  of  their  minds,  they  sud- 
denly strike  out  some  new  channel  for  their  thoughts. 
Death  wrenches  from  us  the  possessions  which  we 
have  garnered  up  on  earth  ;  unlocks  our  grasp  on  the 
hand  of  friendship  and  affection ;  closes  our  eyes  on 
the  fair  scenes  of  this  splendid  creation ;  shuts  up 
our  senses,  and  removes  us  forever^  from  all  the  ob- 
jects with  which  we  have  been  familiar.  A  view- 
less, formless  foe,  he  stands  in  our  path,  ready  in  an 
unexpected  hour  to  dart  upon  his  victim.  Beyond 
him  lies  an  untried,  unexplored  region,  where  is 
erected  the  tribunal  of  a  Righteous  .Tudge,  who  will 
in  no  wise  clear  the  guilty.  And,  if  there  be  a 
Heaven  for  those  whom  he  approves,  there  is  also 
a  Hell  for  those  whom  he  condemns.  "  Their  worm 
dieth  not,  their  fire  is  not  quenched.''  These  are 
some  of  the  considerations  which  sharpen  the  sting 
of  death,  and  deepen  the  horrors  of  the  grave. — 
With  all  this  lowering  upon  him,  is  it  strange  that 
a  sinful  mortal  should  shudder  at  death  ?  Rather, 
is  it  not  strange,  that  any  should  fail  to  shudder  ? 
And  yet,  there  are  some  who  seem  to  meet  death 
without  alarm.  Ignorant  of  his  own  character,  and 
of  his  relations  to  God,  his  Maker,  and  reckless  of 
the  prospect  before  him,  a  man  may  die  without  fear, 
because  he  will  not  permit  himself  to  think.  Per- 
verted by  scepticism  or  unbelief,  he  may  have  toil- 

43 


338  CllKlSTIAN  HEROISM. 

ed  so  earnestly  to  persuade  himself  that  he  has  no- 
thing to  dread  beyond  the  grave,  that  God  may  have 
given  him  up  to  Ids  own  strong  delusion.     Accom- 
plished in  the  dreadful  work  of  hardening  his  own 
heart  and  searing  his  own  conscience,  God  may  have 
consigned  him,  judicially,  to  that  indifference  which, 
he  has   coveted ;    and,    he    may   pass   untroubled 
through  his  last  hour,  because  no  visitation  of  mer- 
cy comes  to  give  movement  to  his  fears.     He,  whose 
native  timidity  made  him  tremble  when  his  eye  met 
the  grave,  may,  by  some  strong  excitement,  be  lift- 
ed above  his  fears.     Glowing  with  patriotic  ardour, 
or  panting  to  have  his  brows  encircled  with  the 
chaplet  of  fame,  or  driven  by  some  other  powerful 
impulse,  the  warrior  may  advance  courageously  to 
meet  the  array  of  death  on  the  plain  of  battle. — 
Apart  from  all  external  stimulus,  a  man  may  have 
such  tension  of  nerve,  and  such  daring  of  character, 
that  the  prospect  of  death  will  not  shake  his  natural 
fortitude.     All  this  may  be  true :  and,  still  to  man- 
kind in  general,  death  may  be  inexpressibly  awful. 
But,  where  is  the  heroism  evinced  in  all  this  ?     Is 
it  a  proof  of  heroism  for  a  mortal  to  die,  trifling  with 
all  that  is  venerable  and  holy ;  unthinking,  indiffer- 
ent and  asleep,  when  the  mental  eye  should  turn  all 
its  power  of  vision  on  the  future,  and  when  his  own 
eternal  destiny  trembles  in  the  scales  of  an  irrever- 
sible decision?     Then,  the  pilot  is  a  hero,  who, 
warned  of  the  breakers  that  are  in  his  course,  re- 
mains supine,  until  the  shock  is  felt  which  wrecks 
his  vessel.     If  the  sceptic  be  true  to  his  professions, 
he  cannot  be  afraid  of  death,  and  can  exhibit  no 
heroism  on  its  approach.     And  yet,  even  he  hai 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  339 

been  known  to  tremble,  when  a  solitary  speck  arose 
to  obscure  the  horizon  of  life.     It  is  no  certain  proof 
of  courage,  or  contempt  of  death,  when  he  is  volun- 
tarily encountered  on  the  field  of  blood.    Thousands 
who  have  braved  him  at  the  cannon's  mouth,  have 
afterwards  trembled    to   meet   him  in   retirement. 
What,  I  pray  you,  is  the  moral  value  of  that  animal 
courage,  which  depends  on  nerves  too  insensible  to 
be  shaken,  or  on  blood  too  sluggish  to  be  accelerated 
through  its  accustomed  channel  ?     But,  enough  of 
this.     We  all  must  die.     The  sentence  has  gone 
forth,  and  we  cannot  he.  reprieved  from  its  execu- 
tion.    We  are  all  naturally  afraid  of  death.     We 
want  something  that  can  reconcile  us  to  this  event, 
and  support  us  under  this  shock;  something  that 
can  solace  the  aged  and  cheer  the  young;  something 
that  can  add  a  Heavenly  charm  to  natural  fortitude, 
and  transform  timidity  into  calmness  and  confidence; 
something  that  can  adapt  itself  to  the  peculiar  state 
of  each,  and  tender  substantial  comfort  to  every 
mortal  in  that  fearful  hour,  when,  for  the  most  part, 
consolation  yields  to  despair.      Where  shall  we 
seek  that  moral  heroism  which  can  achieve  this  vic- 
tory over  man's  last  foe,  and  adorn  with  the  badge 
of  triumph  him,  who,  though  he  falls  beneath  re- 
sistless power,  yet  falls  with  such  dignity  and  gran- 
deur, that  he  sinks  from  the  view  of  mortals  in  a 
blaze  of  Glory  ?     Where  ?     In  the  religion  of  Je- 
sus Christ;  that  religion  which  lived  in  the  heart, 
breathed  in  the  thoughts,  glowed  in  the  words  and 
shone  in  the  life  of  the  heroic  Paul ;  and,  which 
enabled  him  to  exclaim,  not  only  with  submission, 


340  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

but  with  triumph,  ^*  I  am  now  ready  to  be  oflPered, 
and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand.'' 

This  declaration  was  not  the  offspring  of  a  sudden 
impulse,  or  a  late  attainment.     Thirty  years  had 
now  elapsed  since  Paul  had  surrendered  his  hostili- 
ty to  the  Cross,  and  had  become  a  Christian  and  an 
Apostle.     Previous  to  this  time,  he  had  a  desire  to 
depart  and  to  be  with  Christ ;  and  his  whole  de- 
portment evinced,  that  he  was  triumphant  over  the 
fear  of  death.     We,  it  is  true,  are  not  called  to  be 
Apostles,  or  to  encounter  the  difficulties  which  op- 
posed his  course :  but,  we  arc  required  to  be  Chris- 
tians ;  and,  it  is  our  privilege,  as  it  was  his,  to  de- 
rive from  the  all-sufficient  grace  of  God,  prepara- 
tion to  say,  each  one  for  himself,  "  Yea,  though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I 
will  fear  no  evil :  for,  thou  art  with  me ;  thy  rod  and 
thy   staff,   they  shall   comfort   me."     Multitudes, 
**  who,  through  fear  of  death,  have  been  all  their 
life-time  subject  to  bondage,"  have  been  emancipa- 
ted from  it  by  that  Grace  to  which  Paul  ascribed 
his  victory  ;  the  world  has  faded  from  their  sight ; 
Heaven  has  opened  to  their  eyes ;  and,  out-flying 
in  their  desires  the  rapid  wheels  of  time,  they  have 
pressed  forward  to  that  verge,  from  which  millions 
recoil,  and  joyfully  throw  themselves  into  eternity. 
Charge  not  this  experience  with  enthusiasm.    What 
can  be  more  reasonable,  than  that  the  soul,  leavened 
with  the.  truth,  and  cast  into  the  mould  of  the  Gos- 
pel, should  serenely,  and  even  exultingly  follow 
through  the  grave,  the  Redeeming  Messenger,  who 
beckons  it  to  the  skies,  where  angelic  spirits  sweep 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  341 

their  harps  and  sweetly  sing,  "  Sister  spirit,  come 
away." 

But,  we  have  not  yet  done  justice  to  the  heroism 
of  Paul.  He  knew  that  the  time  of  his  departure 
was  at  hand.  And,  he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  steep 
and  rugged  path  which  he  was  about  to  scale.  The 
last  agony,  unsoothed  by  a  single  opiate,  was  to  be 
encountered,  not  in  the  bosom  of  a  peaceful  home, 
nor  environed  by  sympathising  friends,  but  on  a 
scaffold,  reeking  with  tlie  blood  that  had  flowed  in 
Christian  veins.  He  resigned  himself  to  death,  not 
when  it  should  become  inevitable,  when  nature  had 
worn  herself  out,  or  when  disease  had  quenched  the 
fountain  of  life;  but,  to  a  voluntary  and  a  violent 
death,  which  he  might  have  averted  by  proving  re- 
creant from  his  faith,  and  forswearing  his  allegiance 
to  his  Heavenly  Master. 

From  this  peaceful  era  of  the  Christian  Church, 
when  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  accomplished  an  as- 
tonishing revolution  in  the  sentiments  and  feelings 
and  practice  of  men,  from  sympathy  in  which,  even 
they  are  not  excluded,  who  neither  entertain  its  doc- 
trines, nor  obey  its  precepts,  we  look  back  with  hor- 
ror on  the  past  trials  of  tlie  Church ;  and  with  ad- 
miration on  the  fidelity  of  those  of  her  members  who 
"  loved  not  their  lives  unto  death,"  we  read  the  his- 
tory of  the  martyr ;  we  dwell  with  indignation  on 
the  story  of  his  wrongs.  Applauding  his  unbend- 
ing integrity,  we  follow  him  to  the  desecrated  spot, 
where  the  sacrifice  of  his  blood  is  to  be  consumma- 
ted. There,  we  gaze  on  his  transfigured  counte- 
nance, and  mark  the  fire  of  confidence  that  gleams 
in  his  eye :  we  see  the  Heavens  cleaving  above  him, 


342  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

and  the  portals  of  his  celestial  mansion  unfolding  to 
welcome  him :  and  as  he  falls  beneath  the  axe,  we 
cover  him  with  that  glory,  which  now,  invests  the 
cause  in  which  he  bled.  What  would  be  the  result, 
if  the  ban  of  proscription,  were  once  more  published ; 
if  the  arm  of  persecution  were  once  more  bared  ;  if 
the  trial  were  once  more  instituted,  whether  profes- 
sing Christians,  love  most,  their  lives,  or  their  Chris- 
tian honour,  and  the  Glory  of  that  Saviour,  who, 
for  them  endured  the  Cross?  Mark  those  inglorious 
desertions  !  See  how  the  columns  of  the  Christian 
host  are  melting  away !  Many  are  found  unable  to 
endure  this  baptism,  who  had  said  in  the  hour  of 
security,  Lord,  we  are  ready  to  go  with  thee  to  pri- 
son, to  judgment,  and  even  to  thy  Cross.  But,  if  it 
would  be  difficult  to  pass  this  ordeal  now,  when  the 
sympathies  of  the  Cliurch  and  the  world,  have  pre- 
pared for  the  sufterer,  a  bed  of  roses,  and  a  Crown 
of  triumph,  what  must  it  have  been,  when,  on  the 
immolation  of  a  solitary  and  an  excoriated  victim, 
the  orgies  of  the  rabble  were  echoed  from  the  impe- 
rial throne?  Yet,  under  these  appalling  circumstan- 
ces the  Apostle  declared,  that  he  was  "  ready  to  be 
oflfered ;"  willing  to  be  poured  out,  as  a  libation  on 
the  altar  of  God.  "  Blessed  man,  indeed  ;  who  could 
look  upon  the  j)ouring  forth  of  his  blood,  as  the  li- 
bation of  a  sacrifice,  of  thanksgiving,  on  which  he 
could  call  for  the  congratulations  of  his  friends,  ra- 
ther than  their  condolence ;  who  could  loosen  from 
these  mortal  shores,  and  set  sail  for  eternity  with  a 
shout,"  *     Here  was  true  heroism ! 

*  Doddridse. 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  343 

Soon  after  this  period,  Paul  suifered  at  Rome,  the 
martyrdom  which  he  anticipated.  "  He  counted  not 
his  life  dear,  that  he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy? 
and  the  ministry  Avhich  he  had.  received  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  Gospel  of  the  Grace  of 
God.''  This  was,  doubtless,  indisputable  proof  of 
his  sincerity,  which  in  its  turn,  demonstrates  the  di- 
vinity of  the  Christian  religion.  An  individual  may, 
indeed,  be  so  wedded  to  an  erroneous  creed,  that  no 
terrors  can  divorce  him  from  it :  but  Paul  was  a  mar- 
tyr, not  only  of  the  opinions,  which  he  avowed,  but 
of  the  facts  which  he  professed  to  be  a  witness,  and 
in  relation  to  which,  he  could  not  be  mistaken.  If, 
then,  Paul  was  sincere,  the  facts  which  he  reported, 
and  the  doctrines  which  he  published  were  true ;  and 
if  they  were  true,  the  religion  of  Christ  is  divine;  and 
if  the  religion  of  Christ  be  divine,  here  is  the  rock  on 
which  we  may  securely  build  our  confidence  for  eter- 
nity, and  which  the  billows  of  death  can  never  shake. 

But,  what  is  there  of  mystery  in  the  heroism  which 
Paul  exhibited?  The  Grace  of  God  was  adequate 
to  sustain  him.  He  who  abases  the  proud  and  ele- 
vates the  humble,  could  easily  transform,  even  a 
trembling,  to  a  triumphant  faith.  And  to  him,  when 
exulting  over  death  and  the  grave,  Paul  carried  the 
ascription  of  praise,  "Thanks  be  unto  God,  who 
giveth  us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Still  we  are  able  to  render  a  reason  of  the 
confidence  that  was  in  him.  It  is  reflection  on  the 
past,  or  apprehension  for  the  future,  that  gives  death 
his  utmost  power  to  agitate  the  bosom  of  a  mortal. 
But,  standing  on  the  margin  of  both  worlds,  whether 
he  turned  his  eye  backward  or  forward,  Paul  saw 


344  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

nothins;,  but  what  was  calculated  to  assure,  and  to 
animate  him. 

In  the  retrospect  of  his  life,  he  perceived  nothing 
that  could  render  death  terrible.  True,  he  had  once 
been  without  God  in  the  world  ;  he  had  reviled  and 
persecuted  Christ  and  his  cause ;  he  had  waged  war 
with  the  most  precious  interests  of  Earth  and  Hea- 
ven :  but,  when  convinced  of  his  error,  he  had  re- 
nounced it ;  his  sins  were  washed  away  iu  the  blood  of 
expiation  ;  he  had  become  a  new  creature  ;  a  Holy 
influence  now  pervaded  his  character  and  directed 
his  conduct ;  he  maintained  a  conscience  void  of  of- 
fence towards  God  and  towards  man :  not  having  yet 
attained,  he  was  pressing  "  towards  the  mark  for 
the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord."  Impeded  by  no  difficulties  and  dis- 
mayed by  no  opposition,  he  made  his  career  pro- 
gressive to  the  end.  To  his  efforts  as  a  Christian,, 
were  added  his  uuparralelled  losts  and  sufferings 
as  an  Apostle :  and  in  reference  to  both,  he  had  ad- 
hered to  the  truth  and  preserved  his  fidelity  invio- 
late. This,  indeed,  was  not  the  ground  of  his  con- 
fidence. He  who  had  taught  that  "  other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,"  well  knew  that 
Christ  was  his  only  foundation :  but  a  re- view  of  his 
past  life,  brought  to  him  the  evidence,  that  he  had 
built  on  this  solid  basis,  and  not  on  the  sand.  He 
had  therefore  no  reason  to  fear,  for  he  could  say,  '*  I 
have  fought  the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course: 
I  have  kept  the  faith." 

Guided  by  the  light  of  Divine  Revelation,  he  could 
explore  the  invisible  world,  and  anticipate  tlie  events, 
in  reserve  for  him  there.  He  beheld  an  august  tribunal 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  345 

aud  an  Omniscient  Judge.  He  saw  the  smoke  of 
Tophet,  ascending  up  for  ever  and  ever.  But  he 
knew,  that  the  Christian  character,  which  had  been 
graciously  conferred  upon  him,  would  evince  his  in- 
terest in  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
he  could  regard  even  the  Judge  as  his  friend ;  and  he 
felt  assured  that  the  rectitude  of  the  Divine  Govern- 
ment would  forbid  his  perdition.  He  knew,  there- 
fore, that  when  his  "  Earthly  house  of  this  taberna- 
cle should  be  dissolved,  he  had  a  building  of  God, 
an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  Hea- 
vens.^'  Why  should  he  be  afraid  of  death,  who 
could  say,  "  Henceforth,  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a 
crown  of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  right- 
eous Judge,  will  give  me  in  that  day.'' 

Thrice  happy  mortal !  standing  on  the  confines  of 
the  grave,  the  recollection  of  the  past  planted  no 
thorns  in  his  conscience ;  and  the  anticipation  of  the 
future,  cast  no  dimness  over  that  crown  of  glory, 
which  he  was  soon  to  wear  and  to  wear  forever.  To 
this  happiness  we  may  all  aspire.  We  may  not  re- 
semble him  in  all  the  high  qualities  by  which  he 
was  distinguished ;  but  we  may  be  partakers  of  the 
joy,  which  chased  away  all  sadness  from  his  last 
hour ;  and  in  those  rewards  of  Grace  in  which  he 
now  exults.  Let  us  imitate  his  example.  Choosing 
that  good  part  which  he  chose,  let  us  cleave  to  it  as 
an  invaluable  possession.  Let  us  run  with  patience 
the  race  set  before  us.  Let  us  fight  the  good  fight, 
finish  our  course,  keep  the  faith,  in  imitation  of  his 
example,  and  for  us  there  shall  be  "  laid  up  a  crown 
of  righteousness  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous 
Judge,  will  give  us  in  that  day ;  and,  not  to  us  only, 

44 


346  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

but  to  all  who  love  his  appearing."  And  when 
summoned  to  leave  the  world,  we  may  accommo- 
date to  our  own  condition  the  dignified  exclamation, 
"  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand." 

From  the  martyrdom  of  the  Apostle,  let  us  now 
turn  to  contemplate  the  death  of  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  who  has  been  recently  translated  from  this 
Church,  we  trust,  to  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Church  of  tiie  First-born,  which  are  written  in  Hea- 
ven. This  event  should  not  be  permitted  to  mingle, 
unheeded,  with  the  croud  of  incidents  that  make  up 
the  history  of  our  lives.  I  see  many  by  whom  it 
will  not  be  forgotten.  But,  the  most  affectionate 
remembrance  of  this  bereavement  is  not  enough.  A 
dispensation  so  signal,  of  the  Providence  of  God,  to- 
Avards  this  Church,  demands  to  be  pondered  :  and, 
all  its  intentions  in  regard  to  us  will  not  be  fulfilled, 
unless  we  derive  improvement  from  it.  This  day 
has  been  set  apart  for  that  interesting  purpose ;  and 
you  are  now  admonished  to  profit  by  his  past  min- 
istry, and  his  recent  death. 

On  the  present  occasion,  a  tribute  is  due  to  de- 
parted worth,  which,  I  acknowledge  my  inadequa- 
cy to  render.  It  is  only  within  the  last  few  years 
of  his  life,  that  I  had  the  advantage  of  knowing  your 
late  pastor.  Of  that  period,  the  last  three  months 
have  furnished  me  the  only  opportunity  of  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance  witli  his  cliaracter.  During  that 
period,  I  knew  him  only  on  the  coucli  of  affliction, 
and  under  the  oppressions  of  disease.  Of  this  sea- 
son of  his  life,  1  could  speak  from  personal  observa- 
tion.    For  his  earlier  history  and  character,  I  should 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  347 

be  indebted  to  others.  Testimony  in  the  highest  de- 
gree respectable,  and  for  aught  I  know,  universal, 
would  warrant  me  to  say,  far  more  in  his  favour, 
than  is  contemplated  in  the  present  service.  Should 
I  attempt  no  delineation  of  his  character,  your  know- 
ledge on  that  subject  would  supply  the  deficiency. 
And  if  I  exhibit  a  diminished  and  imperfect  portrait, 
you  will  be  able  to  expand  it  to  its  just  dimensions, 
and  to  apply  to  it  those  assimilating  touches,  which 
will  render  it  a  more  perfect  likeness  of  the  original. 
The  Rev.  John  Durburrow  Blair,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  born  October,  15,  1759.  The 
family  from  which  he  descended,  has  furnished  the 
Church  with  several  distinguished  Ministers,  of 
whom  his  father  was  one.  He  enjoyed  the  advan- 
tage of  an  early  education  at  the  College  of  Nassau 
Hall,  in  New- Jersey,  then  under  the  presidency  of 
the  venerable  Dr.  Witherspoou.  Having  gradua- 
ted, while  yet  in  his  minority,  he  was  appointed  one 
of  its  tutors.  President  Witherspoon  having  been 
requested  to  recommend  some  one,  to  take  charge  of 
the  Academy  of  Washington  Henry,  in  Hanover, 
designated  Mr.  Blair  for  that  service ;  who,  accor- 
dingly came  to  Virginia,  and  entered  upon  the  du- 
ties of  the  office  to  which  he  was  appointed.  In  his 
youth  he  had  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  di- 
rected his  views  to  the  ministry,  in  preference  to  other 
pursuits,  more  (gainful,  or  more  honourable,  in  the 
view  of  the  world.  These  views  he  prosecuted  du- 
ring his  residence  in  Virginia.  About  the  year 
1785,  he  was  introduced  into  the  ministry  by  the 
Presbytery  of  Hanover,  and  inducted  to  the  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Church  of  Pole  Green;  in  Hanover, 


348  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

which  at  a  former  period  had  enjoyed  the  pastoral 
services  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davies  ;  and  which  was  one 
of  the  earliest  Presbyterian  establishments  in  Virgi- 
nia. About  thirty  years  ago,  Mr.  Blair  removed  to 
Richmond.  Since  that  time,  he  continued,  until  re- 
cently, to  supply  the  Church  in  Hanover,  and  also 
officiated  in  the  Capitol  in  this  City.  In  this  latter 
service,  he  was,  for  many  years,  most  harmoniously 
associated  with  the  late  Dr.  Buchanan.  On  the 
completion  of  this  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Blair  may 
be  regarded  as  the  founder,  he  devoted  to  it  his 
whole  services,  and  felt  the  strongest  interest  in  its 
prosperity.  But  Providence  did  not  intend,  that  he 
should  much  longer  bear  the  burden  and  heat  of  the 
day.  And  his  ministry  was  now  hastening  to  its 
close.  For  nearly  a  year,  his  health  has  been  de- 
clining ;  and  the  exhausted  lamp  of  life  at  last  went 
out.  The  solemnities  of  the  last  Sabbath,  are  yet 
before  our  eyes.  We  yet  seem  scarcely  to  have  lost 
sight  of  that  long  and  melancholy  procession  which  at- 
tended his  remains  to  this  temple,  and  from  this  tem- 
ple, to  the  cemetery,  where  we  committed  liis  body 
to  the  ground,  ^* earth  to  earth,  dust  to  dust,  ashes  to 
ashes."  But  he  is  not  dead.  He  only  sleeps. 
That  body  shall  be  reared  again,  and  occupied  by 
the  spirit  which  once  dwelt  there,  shall  meet  us  in 
eternity. 

I  cannot  here  repeat  all  that  I  have  been  told  of 
his  worth,  and  of  the  estimation  in  which  he  was 
held.  As  an  amiable  and  excellent  man,  he  de- 
served to  be  esteemed.  Correct  in  principle  and 
uniform  in  deportment,  he  pursued  through  life  the 
even  tenor  of  his  way.     Covetous  neither  of  gain  nor 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  349 

applause,  he  was  contented  and  unambitious.  Mild 
and  conciliating,  benevolent  and  disinterested,  pa- 
tient and  forgiving,  liberal  and  catholic,  the  sterner 
passions  seemed  to  have  no  hold  upon  his  character. 
In  the  domestic  circle,  and  in  general  society,  he  was 
well  fitted  to  attract  aflfection,  and  to  secure  respect. 
Without  ascribing  to  him  a  perfection  that  belongs 
not  to  mortals,  and  without  instituting  invidious 
comparisons  between  him  and  others,  it  may  be 
safely  aflBrmed,  that  his  character  was  marked  by 
the  predominance  of  those  qualities  which  consti- 
tute a  high  degree  of  moral  excellence. 

In  preaching  the  Gospel,  he  inculcated  the  essen- 
tial doctrines  of  the  Christian  system.  In  this  of- 
fice, he  displayed  a  sound  and  well  cultivated  mind. 
He  avoided  in  his  discourses,  the  extremes  of  ab- 
struse discussion  and  of  empty  declamation.  Their 
object  was  to  enlighten,  to  convince,  to  persuade ; 
these  effects  they  were  calculated  to  produce.  In 
many  instances,  especially,  as  I  have  been  informed, 
in  his  most  vigorous  days,  he  displayed  a  highly 
impressive  eloquence.  But,  his  last  sermon  has 
been  delivered ;  and,  the  results  of  his  ministry  shall 
be  developed  in  eternity. 

One  trait  of  character  has  not  been  distinctly  no- 
ticed, which,  on  the  present  occasion,  it  were  unpar- 
donable to  omit.  It  is  personal  religion.  Without 
this,  the  most  splendid  and  lovely  human  qualities 
perish  in  the  grave :  with  this,  they  become  immor- 
tal ;  and,  transferred  to  a  nobler  theatre,  they  shine 
and  attract  forever. 

The  work  of  final  judgment  belongs  not  to  us. 
It  were  far  better  to  examine,  solicitously,  our  own 


350  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

condition  and  our  future  prospects,  than  to  pry  into 
the  destiny  of  others.  As  we  are  not  bound  to  infer 
that  every  thing  which  assumes  the  name,  is  the  reali- 
ty of  religion  ;  so,  we  are  not  authorised  to  denounce 
as  spurious,  whatever  fails  to  accord  with  our  views. 
It  is  only  when  our  judgments  are  enlightened  by 
Scriptural  truth,  and  a  knowledge  of  the  facts  in  a 
given  case,  that  we  are  safe  from  error. 

An  undue  power  to  control  the  events  of  eternity, 
is  often  attributed  to  a  few  of  the  last  scenes  of  life. 
Yet,  these  scenes  are  not  w  ithout  their  interest.  In 
some  cases,  a  disguise  which  had  been  long  worn, 
is  at  last  withdrawn,  or  a  foundation  on  which  hope 
had  long  reposed,  is  unsettled.  In  others,  a  seal  of 
confirmation  is  affixed  to  the  evidences  of  preparation 
for  Heaven,  which  the  previous  life  had  furnished. 
It  is,  therefore,  natural  to  enquire,  and  it  may  be 
profitable  to  know,  how  our  friends  felt  and  acted 
at  the  close  of  life.  This  congregation  is,  doubtless, 
solicitous  to  know  how  he  who  was  wont  to  admon- 
ish them  to  prepare  for  their  last  hour,  met  his  own. 
Could  1  only  tell  you  that,  having  long  professed  to 
be  a  Disciple  and  Minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  having  given  evidence  of  his  sincerity,  this  evi- 
dence remained  unimpaired  by  the  events  of  his  last 
trial,  tliis  ought  to  be  sufficient.  Even  the  shrink- 
ing of  nature  from  this  shock,  ought  not  to  out- weigh 
the  evidences  of  a  pious  life.  Far  be  it  from  me  to 
depreciate  that  triumphant  grace,  which  is  often  af- 
forded to  mortals  in  their  final  conflict ;  but  this, 
pre-eminently  desirable  as  it  is,  is  not  indispensable 
to  salvation. 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  35i 

On  this  subject  I  may,  without  impropriety,  ex- 
hibit the  views  which  your  Pastor  has  disclosed. 
Instead  of  gathering  up  the  fragments  of  repeated 
conversations,  reference  shall  be  made  to  one  spe- 
cific occasion ;  not  for  the  purpose  of  finishing  off 
his  character,  or  making  an  ostentatious  display, 
but  in  order  that  his  death  may  be  useful,  as  well 
as  his  life.  Suffer  me,  then,  for  a  moment,  to  rend 
the  veil  of  domestic  privacy,  and  introduce  you  as 
witnesses  of  a  scene,  which  it  was  my  privilege  to 
witness.  An  affectionate  father,  worn  down  with 
disease,  collects  his  afflicted  children  around  him ; 
and,  feeting  that  the  time  of  his  departure  is  at  hand, 
thus  addresses  them : 

'*  I  have  little  to  say  to  you ;  much  less  than  I 
expected,  in  consequence  of  my  weakness.  In  the 
contemplation  of  death,  you  are  present  to  my  mind. 
To  part  with  you  will  be  a  painful  scene.  My 
manner  of  life,  and  my  doctrine,  and  the  exhorta- 
tions I  have  given  you,  you  know.  I  have  nothing 
new  to  add  to  these  now.  Your  reliance  for  the 
pardon  of  your  sins,  must  be  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  To  him,  alone,  you  must  look.  But,  this 
is  not  enough.  You  must  be  sanctified.  You  were 
born  in  sin,  as  I  was.  This  must  be  overcome ;  for, 
nothing  unholy  can  enter  the  kingdom  of  Heaven. 
The  grace  of  God  alone  is  sufficient  to  sanctify  you, 
to  rectify  the  disorders  which  sin  has  introduced, 
and  to  implant  in  your  hearts  new  principles,  de- 
stroying the  power  and  the  love  of  sin.  This  grace 
is  ever  to  be  sought  with  humble,  fervent,  penitent 
hearts.  In  addition  to  this,  and  in  consequence  of 
this,  you  will  find  your  highest  delight  in  God,  and 
your  highest  pleasure  in  his  service. 


352  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

^^  As  for  me,  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  I  was 
early  made  a  subject  of  Diviae  Grace.  1  have  not 
been  without  my  faults.  My  aberrations  were  chiefly 
in  practical  religion.  When  I  was  young,  I  was 
very  enthusiastic.  1  had  the  folly  to  think,  that  if 
they  would  suffer  me  to  preach,  I  could  convert  the 
world.  But,  God  was  pleased  to  show  me  my  in- 
sufficiency. When  I  began  to  preach,  1  converted, 
nobody.  I  could  not  do  it.  Yet  1  hope  that  God 
lias  been  pleased  to  make  me  an  instrument  of  good 
to  many  souls.  When  I  came  to  maturer  years, 
my  religion  became  rather  a  calm  and  settled  con- 
viction and  habit,  than  a  matter  of  feeling  and  an 
ebullition  of  love.  And  now,  after  I  am  gone,  when 
it  is  asked,  if  I  made  any  remarkable  speech,  you 
may  tell  them  no :  but,  that  I  am  not  without  hope 
and  confidence.  I  depend  on  liim  in  whom  I  have 
believed.  I  think  1  have  a  right  to  plead  his  pro- 
mises of  mercy.  He  has  never  left  me,  nor  forsaken 
me ;  he  has  supported  rae  all  along,  and  I  believe 
will  still  do  so.  I  know  that  I  must  pass  through 
the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  But,  I 
trust  lam  prepared  for  God's  will,  and  that  I  shall 
be  ready  whenever  he  shall  call  me  hence.  Lord 
Jesus  !  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.'^ 

After  giving  some  instructions  respecting  his  fu- 
neral, and  advice  on  other  subjects,  he  added,  *'  1 
should  like  once  more  to  speak  to  the  congregation, 
but  1  shall  not  be  able  to  do  tliat." 

In  ilropping  the  curtain  around  this  scene,  suffer 
me  to  repeat  the  message  from  his  dying  bed,  which 
was  announced  on  the  day  of  his  interment.  He 
wished  you  to  recall  to  recollection  the  doctrines 
which  he  had  preached  to  you,  and  to  be  assured, 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  353 

that  be  saw  no  reason  to  retract  them.  In  this  mes- 
sage, he  has  sent  to  you  his  last  testimony  of  their 
truth  and  importance;  and  his  last  exhortation  that 
you  should  cherish  them. 

This  discourse  shall  be  closed  with  a  few  remarks, 
in  relation  to  his  Christian  views  and  Christian 
character. 

The  opinion  is  extensively  current,  that  a  good 
moral  deportment  is  a  sufficient  preparation  for  death. 
I  would  not  detract  from  the  value  of  sound  moral- 
ity. But,  whatever  purposes  it  may  answer  here, 
something  more  may  be  necessary  for  eternity.  This 
was  the  sentiment  of  him,  whose  loss  we  deplore. 
He  makes  no  allusion  to  his  personal  merit  as  the 
ground  of  his  confidence,  although  he  was  better 
entitled  to  do  this,  than  multitudes,  who  build  on 
this  as  their  only  foundation.  Even  when  he  speaks 
of  his  own  attainments  as  evidences  of  his  safety,  he 
employs  the  language  of  humility  and  confession. 
He  asserts  no  claim  to  perfection.  He  concedes, 
that  as  a  Christian,  he  has  not  been  faultless  ;  and 
that  he  has  erred  in  practical  religion.  His  is  the 
spirit,  not  of  the  Pharisee,  but  of  the  Publican. 
Who  among  us,  whatever  may  be  our  attainments, 
could  venture  into  eternity  without  a  similar  confes- 
sion ?  "  God  resisteth  the  proud,  but  giveth  Grace 
to  the  humble."'  Accordingly,  his  dependence^  was 
not  on  himself,  but  on  "Divine Grace;''  on  the  "  pro- 
mises of  mercy ;"  or  the  Saviour,  into  whose  hands 
he  commended  his  departing  spirit.  This  is  the 
only  foundation  for  one  who  feels  himself  to  be  a 
sinner.  And,  on  this  he  must  establish  himself  at 
lust,  as  he  did  at  first.     "  All  else  is  yielding  sand.f' 

45 


354  CHRISTIAN  HEROISM. 

Religion,  though  uniform  in  principle,  is  various 
in  its  influences.  There  is  one  spirit,  but  a  diver- 
sity of  operations.  In  every  instance  it  regulates 
the  intellectual  and  moral  and  active  powers  of  its 
subject ;  but  its  influence  is  often  more  manifest  iu 
one  department  than  another.  It  may  appear  to  be 
chiefly  the  reign  of  conviction,  or  affection,  or  ac- 
tion. In  one  case  calmness,  and  in  another  tri- 
umph, is  its  fruit  in  the  last  period  of  human  life. 
Thus,  in  the  case  before  us,  it  seemed,  according  to 
his  own  account,  less  to  excite  feeling,  although  it 
could  not  fail  to  do  that,  than  to  direct  the  convic- 
tions of  the  judgment,  and  to  influence  the  habits  of 
the  life.  In  view  of  death,  his  deportment  was 
uniform.  Habitually  patient  under  an  oppressive 
disease,  he  at  no  time  exhibited  the  least  symptom 
of  alarm.  His  evangelic  confidence  did  not  forsake 
him.  He  even  expressed  his  solicitude  that  the 
scene  might  close,  and  the  world  retire  from  him 
forever.  In  a  sense,  accommodated  to  his  own  con- 
dition, he  might  have  said,  "  I  am  ready  to  be  of- 
fered, and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand." 
As  far  as  mortals  can  judge,  his  end  was  peace. 

Let,  then,  the  aflSicted  family  that  mourn  this  be- 
reavement, while  they  sorrow  not  as  those  who  have 
no  hope,  remember  the  instructions,  the  example  and 
the  prayers,  of  their  head  :  let  them  trust  in  the  God 
of  their  father,  as  they  are  taught  in  the  Gospel ;  and 
he  will  be  their  friend  and  unfailing  portion. 

Let  the  congregation,  whose  Pastor  has  been  re- 
moved from  them,  enquire  how  they  have  profited 
by  his  ministry ;  and  prepare  for  the  account  which 
awaits  them  in  the  last  day. 


CHRISTIAN  HEROISM.  355 

Let  the  Ministers  of  the  Gospel,  one  of  whom  has 
been  removed  from  his  watch-tower,  remember  that 
their  time  is  short ;  that  their  work  is  great ;  and 
that  it  becomes  them  to  do  quickly,  whatever  they 
meditate  for  the  salvation  of  their  fellow-men,  and 
the  Glory  of  their  Lord  and  Master ! 


.  /*^'«*»^..» 


